Czech Republic

Czech Republic: Non-Romani men fighting "about a girl" misreported by media as neo-Nazi brawl with Roma

17.2.2017 7:53 Online news server udalosti112.cz broadcast reporting including video footage on 12 February claiming that a street battle had erupted in the town of Litvínov, Czech Republic between neo-Nazis and Romani people, writing about a "battle of a group of skinheads with local Roma" that "employed local and state police and emergency medical responders". News server Romea.cz was then contacted by an eyewitness to the incident who said it was not a clash between right-wing extremists and Romani people, but an ordinary "pub brawl" among non-Romani locals involving a dispute "about a girl".  full story

Czech court overturns acquittal in radical Islamic book distribution case

17.2.2017 7:04 The Prague Municipal Court, meeting in closed session, has overturned the acquittal of the former chair of the Muslim Community of Prague, Vladimír Sáňka, and returned the case to the District Court for Prague 1 to be reopened. Prague Municipal Court spokesperson Markéta Puci provided the information in response to a query by the Czech News Agency on 9 February.  full story

Czech Police close investigation into arson attack by neo-Nazis on the Klinika Social Center

16.2.2017 10:40 Prague Police have completed their investigation of the arson attack committed last year against the Klinika Social Center in the Žižkov quarter of Prague 3. The criminal case has been shelved because police failed to ascertain enough facts to begin felony prosecution of a specific suspect.  full story

Czech Justice Minister will not discipline state prosecutor accused of protecting racists

16.2.2017 9:10 Nine months ago the online daily Deník Referendum (DR) filed a motion with the Czech Justice Ministry for disciplinary proceedings to begin against Prague 1 District Attorney JUDr. Zdeňka Galková. Czech Justice Minister Robert Pelikán rejected that motion on 7 February.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister meets with management of Hate Free project to discuss its future

16.2.2017 8:21 Czech Human Rights Minister Jan Chvojka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) met on 7 February with the leadership of the Czech Government's campaign against hate violence, Hate Free Culture. The three-year project, scheduled to end in April, combats hate speech and xenophobia as well as refuting fake news and hoaxes, mainly in the online environment.
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Senegalese model featured on Lidl ad in Czech Republic hired by company importing mobile phones

16.2.2017 7:22 The Lion Mobile company's latest advertising campaign in the Czech Republic features Senegalese model Alpha Dia, whose image in a flier for the Lidl retail chain sparked many racist commentaries on Faceboook. Lion Mobile imports Xiaomi telephones to the Czech Republic.  full story

Together We Can: Jan Balog

14.2.2017 10:27 Last month, Romea.cz began publishing interviews on a weekly basis with people who are doing interesting things to aid all of us in getting along here. When we were looking for a name for this column, the motto of this year's International Romani Day, "Together We Can", inspired me, so the organizers and I have decided to call this column "Together We Can" as well.
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Czech Regional Development Minister reluctantly supports social housing law

13.2.2017 8:21 Czech Regional Development Minister Karla Šlechtová (for ANO) has signed off on the Government's proposed social housing legislation, with reservations. The minister used online social networks to make her disagreement known at the start of February.  full story

Czech Education Minister wants to give schools money to visit historical sites

13.2.2017 7:36 Czech Education Minister Kateřina Valachová (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) wants to make it possible for schools to visit certain locations connected with Czech history free of charge. In May the ministry will make public a pilot program through which schools will be able to seek money for such field trips.  full story

Czech court upholds limits on media using nicknames for politicians

13.2.2017 7:06 The Prague High Court confirmed on 31 January that it would only have been legal for the weekly magazine Reflex to use the nickname "Pitomio" (a pun on a word meaning "fool") to refer to Tomio Okamura, the chair of the "Freedom and Direct Democracy" movement, if it had done so in a context of legitimate criticism. Corrupting the politician's name for no reason is not allowed.  full story

Czech Police propose prosecution of ultra-right extremist, he faces three years if convicted

12.2.2017 9:39 Prague Police have proposed prosecuting the chair of the ultra-right National Democracy party, Adam B.Bartoš, for the crimes of approving of and/or denying, justifying or questioning genocide, inciting hatred, defaming a nation and approving of a felony. Tomáš Hulan, spokesperson for the Prague Police, informed the Czech News Agency of the indictment on 7 February.  full story

Czech Republic's Fulbright Commission opens course preparing Romani students for study in the USA

11.2.2017 16:09 The Fulbright Commission, in collaboration with the Department of Social Pedagogy at the Pedagogical Faculty of Masaryk University in Brno, will open a preparatory course this spring for Romani students interested in possibly studying in the USA. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with what it is like to study in the USA and prepare them to overcome the barriers and fear that deter disadvantaged and minority students from studying abroad.  full story

Czech Government supports amendment to insolvency law to make debt relief more accessible

10.2.2017 6:59 Borrowers in the Czech Republic may become able to enter debt relief processes irrespective of the amount of debt they owe. The process could take either three, five or seven years, depending on the circumstances of the debt.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister and Romani advisers visit socially excluded locality without meeting Romani residents

9.2.2017 7:16 Czech Human Rights Minister Jan Chvojka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) and representatives of the Monitoring Committee of the Czech Government Council on Romani Minority Affairs, which reviews the work of the Agency for Social Inclusion, visited the town of Most last month, including the Stovky housing estate and a residential hotel called "Key to the Heart" ("K srdci klíč"). The minister did not, however, hold any official discussions with local Romani residents about the situation at the housing estate.  full story

Michal Mižigár: Dža Devleha, Schapiro!

8.2.2017 7:09 Dža Devleha, or "be with God", is what is said in the Romanes language to somebody who is departing. On Friday, 20 January, the Ambassador of the United States of America to the Czech Republic, Andrew H. Schapiro, ended his term.  full story

Together We Can: Patrik Grundza

7.2.2017 7:37 Last month, Romea.cz began publishing interviews on a weekly basis with people who are doing interesting things to aid all of us in getting along here. When we were looking for a name for this column, the motto of this year's International Romani Day, "Together We Can", inspired me, so the organizers and I have decided to call this column "Together We Can" as well.  full story

Czech court rejects lawsuit filed by mother of quintuplets over fundraising drive

6.2.2017 19:47 Alexandra Kiňová, the mother of the first quintuplets ever born in the Czech Republic, filed a lawsuit in the District Court for Prague 5 against the Club of Twins and Higher Multiples (Klub dvojčat a vícerčat) in which she sought the recovery of more than CZK 616 000 (EUR 22 800) from a fundraising drive held by the club on behalf of her children. The court has rejected her lawsuit becuase the money has been transferred to an account owned by the City of Prague.
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Czech Republic: Seven Romani applicants complete ROMEA's media training, say they want to tell Roma stories

5.2.2017 7:30 A months-long media training for future journalists from the Romani community in the Czech Republic, offered by the ROMEA organization, has now ended. Seven successful trainees were invited to receive their certificates of completion in the presence of Yechiel Bar-Chaim and Robert Tobon, who represents the US foundation Bader Philanthropies, which supported the project financially.  full story

Czech court rejects student's compensation claim after school allegedly banned her from wearing her hijab

4.2.2017 9:06 On 27 January a Czech court rejected the claim of a Somali girl who sought an apology and CZK 60 000 (EUR 2 220) from the Secondary School for Nursing in Prague because the school allegedly banned her from wearing her hijab, the head scarf worn by some Muslim women. The plaintiff alleged that by banning the headgear, the institution indirectly discriminated against her access to education and her free choice of profession.  full story

Czech Government withdraws bill to strengthen Public Defender of Rights

3.2.2017 6:20 Because MPs have been unable to reach agreement, the Czech Government has withdrawn the amendment it previously submitted to the Chamber of Deputies about the Public Defender of Rights that would have beefed up the powers of that authority. Instead, Czech Human Rights and Legislation Minister Jan Chvojka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) will prepare a separate bill that will only empower the office to monitor the situation of people living with disabilities.  full story