Czech Republic

Czech Republic: Islamophobes demonstrate in four towns with ultra-nationalist party

30.9.2016 14:45 Roughly 250 people, according to Czech Police estimates, assembled for a "Saint Václav demonstration" in Prague on 28 September, a state holiday officially called the Day of Czech Statehood. The event protested the alleged "Islamization" of Europe.  full story

Czech court reopens trial of promotion of neo-Nazism, now in its sixth year

27.9.2016 10:31 Three of the eight people who face charges of supporting and promoting a movement aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms stood in a renewed trial today before the District Court for Prague 1. They claim they are innocent.  full story

Tereza Heková: I treat others the way they treat me

27.9.2016 6:12 Tereza Heková is a Romani college student who graduated from secondary professional school in the Czech town of Most with a focus on Public Administration. Today she is focused on that same field at college and is in her third year of studying at the private CEVRO Institute.  full story

Roma Spirit Czech Republic: Deadline for nominations THIS FRIDAY 30 SEPTEMBER

26.9.2016 21:27 The final opportunity to nominate individuals and organizations for the 2016 Roma Spirit awards in the Czech Republic will be this Friday, 30 September. The mission of Roma Spirit, which is held by the Michael Kocáb Foundation in collaboration with the Open Society NGO (Otevřená společnost, o.p.s.) and the Museum of Romani Culture, is to appreciate and popularize the work of individuals and organizations who contribute to improving the situation of Romani people in the Czech Republic.  full story

Miroslav Kováč: Longtime racist politician hands out matches during Czech elections

26.9.2016 12:49 Liana Janáčková is a former Senator and longtime Mayor of the Municipal Department of Mariánské Hory in the City of Ostrava who is primarily infamous for her blatantly extremist position toward the Romani minority, and she is running for the Senate again this year. This time around she is running for the INDEPENDENTS (NEZÁVISLÍ) movement in the Ostrava-město precinct, while at the same time, in the elections to the Regional Authority, she is heading the candidate list for that movement in the Moravian-Silesian Region.  full story

Czech Republic: Four concentration camps for Roma ran during WWII in Liberec

26.9.2016 7:44 This is the first of a three-part series about the concentration camps for Romani people located in the Czech town of Liberec that ran from 1939 - 1943 when the country was the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The series is based on articles by Ivan Rous in his books "Camps and Wartime Production" ("Tábory a válečná výroba") and "Blank Spaces in Holocaust Research" ("Bílá místa ve výzkumu holokaustu").  full story

Commentary: A children's playground, common dialogue, and the media

25.9.2016 20:54 In mid-September the Lidové noviny daily paper opened up an important topic by publishing a sketch of an everyday experience at a children's playground in the Czech Republic. What followed was a passionate discussion about whether the article itself was inciting racism or whether it was analyzing the causes of racism, whether a person should "speak up" in certain situations or leave them in tears.  full story

Commentary: The Miss Roma competition does more harm than good

25.9.2016 18:29 On Saturday evening the "Miss Roma 2016" competition was held at the House of Culture in the Czech town of Hodonín for the 12th year in a row. I have always had mixed feelings about this contest, but I have never before publicly discussed what bothers me about it because it was always clear to me that it involves a significant emancipatory charge for some Romani community members.  full story

Adriana Trejtnarová: Romani people are receiving support - we are studying

23.9.2016 13:41 She is studying at the Czech Agricultural University, she is interested in diplomacy and social affairs, and she isn't afraid to share her opinions with the public.
Adriana Trejtnarová (age 21) has come a long way already in her life.  full story

Czech court acquits defendant of disseminating radical Islamic book

22.9.2016 14:46 Yesterday a court in the Czech Republic acquitted the former chair of the Prague Muslim Community, Vladimír Sáňka, of disseminating a radical Islamic book. According to the Prague 1 District Court, the book promotes an ideology for which it is not possible to criminally prosecute anybody.  full story

Eva Danišová: Czech society has already crossed the line between intolerance and racism

21.9.2016 18:48 On 16 September 2016, the Office of the Czech Government Council for Romani Minority Affairs and the Secretariat of the Czech Government Council on National Minorities held a training on the principles of community work and development of the skills necessary for negotiating with local governments. The training was attended by Romani representatives who negotiate with the local authorities in the places where they work and also in the socially excluded localities in which they move.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister opens important expert conference on social housing

21.9.2016 17:07 On Friday, 16 September, an expert conference entitled "Social housing: Sharing practices and draft legislation" was held at the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic and attended by academic experts, representatives of organizations involved in social housing, and social workers. The conference discussed experiences and practical problems, familiarizing those present with the current draft of legislative changes in this area.  full story

Yveta Kenety: We won't get rid of prejudice until we get to know each other

21.9.2016 10:44 Yveta Kenety (age 45) is from Přerov. She graduated from the Business Academy and Language School and then completed her studies in Bulgarian and Serbian at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University.  full story

Commentary: Czech "hero" reports the racist news from a children's playground

20.9.2016 8:00 The Czech media panopticum has offered consumers a lot recently: Olivie Žižková and her man filming themselves during attacks of paranoia on mass transit in Prague, the "schizophrenic Barbie" running for office with her untreated Messiah complex - and now there's another. An editor at the newspaper Lidové Noviny, Přemysl Houda, has written a column called "Playground Racism" in which he laments an episode he recently experienced between the playground slides.  full story

videoCzech Human Rights Minister: Hatred of minorities is being exploited during elections

20.9.2016 6:56 Political populism takes many forms, but in recent weeks some Czech Government ministers have begun to abuse the topic of minorities. In the run-up to elections it is customary that thanks to more aggressive campaigns and efforts to reach potential voters, the borders of what is permissible unfortunately shift in the direction of public attacks on certain groups that frequently take place through the media.  full story

Czech Police apprehend suspected perpetrators who spray-painted Nazi symbols on venues supporting Government's HateFree campaign

20.9.2016 6:34 Police officers have accused five youths of spray-painting cafés and shops involved in the Czech Government's Hate Free campaign with Nazi symbols and threatening messages this spring. Those accused face up to three years in prison for property damage and showing sympathy for a movement aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms.  full story

Czech Republic: Anti-Romani politician spreads hoax that Roma are bilking the state - through lightbulbs

19.9.2016 20:16 Jiří Maria Sieber, a candidate for the Czech Senate from the Order of the Nation (Řád národa) political movement, has reported on his Facebook page that Romani people are allegedly leasing very expensive LED light bulbs from the RWE power utility for which the "welfare office" reimburses them. Allegedly the Romani ratepayers then immediately pawn the light bulbs in order to improve their financial situations.  full story

Czech Republic: NGOs disagree with draft law on free legal aid

19.9.2016 13:03 The Czech Helsinki Committee and other non-governmental, non-profit organizations are criticizing the draft law on free legal aid that will be discussed by the Czech Government on Wednesday, 21 September 2016. According to a statement released today by the organizations, the bill was originally meant to arrange for a comprehensive, innovative system for persons whose fundamental human rights have been violated to access free legal aid in order to provide them more options for achieving redress through the courts.  full story

Commentary: Czech media publish manipulative news item about slaughtered sheep and an "evil Turk"

18.9.2016 13:41 Today we are reporting yet another case study on the topic of "journalists in Czech media who could easily be replaced by monkeys. Even untrained ones."  full story

Czech Republic: Romani faithful gather for traditional pilgrimage

18.9.2016 12:32 Roughly 400 Romani people from all over the Czech Republic and Slovakia gathered yesterday at Svatý Kopeček near Olomouc for their traditional pilgrimage. The event is organized by the Charita NGO in Olomouc and has a long tradition.
 full story