Czech Republic

Neo-Nazi music group makes the Czech Republic's Top 10

Prague, 7.11.2014 21:06, (ROMEA) According to the preliminary results of this year's "Český Slavík" (Czech Nightingale) questionnaire about music preferences, the neo-Nazi band Ortel from Plzeň is among the Top 10 bands in the country. The group's hateful lyrics primarily target religious minorities and Romani people.  full story

Czech Republic: Ultra-right convict to be tie-breaker on local council

Duchcov, 7.11.2014 20:09, (ROMEA) Jindřich Svoboda, a member of the right-wing extremist DSSS party, is now also a member of the local government of Duchcov (Teplice district). Town councilors there elected Zbyněk Šimbera (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) mayor yesterday.  full story

The Roma Education Fund seeks a Consultant to carry out An external evaluation in the Czech Republic

Prague, 7.11.2014 12:14, (ROMEA) The project “Together to Pre-school” has been implemented by the Roma Education Fund and Municipal Government of Ostrava and is in its second year of implementation.  full story

Czech mayor allegedly bribed Romani voters with free beer and rap tickets

Brno, 7.11.2014 0:14, (ROMEA) Beer, cola and food for free as well as CZK 300 cash in exchange for casting a vote for a particular candidate. Today the Regional Court in Brno was scheduled to begin reviewing a case of alleged bribery during the local elections in Brno-sever municipality.  full story

Czech Government marks 25th anniversary of 1989 Velvet Revolution

Prague, 6.11.2014 23:17, (ROMEA) Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has invited his ministers to a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the events of 17 November 1989. The commemorative evening at the Lichtenstein Palace will be held on 15 November and will be attended by the highest constitutional officials, representatives of the diplomatic corps, senators and MPs.  full story

Czech woman who threw bricks at police during anti-Romani demo gets suspended sentence

Ostrava, 6.11.2014 21:51, (ROMEA) On Wednesday, 5 November the District Court in Ostrava handed down its sentence against 19-year-old Petra Barnošáková for throwing several pieces of brick or rocks at police officers intervening against an anti-Romani demonstration in the Přívoz quarter of Ostrava last August. Barnošáková confessed to throwing the objects.  full story

Czech local council welcomes ultra-right into government, PM closes its SocDem cell in response

Duchcov/Prague, 6.11.2014 19:33, (ROMEA) The local organization of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) in the town of Duchcov (Teplice district) has agreed to a coalition government of the town council with the right-wing extremist Workers Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti - DSSS). Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, the ČSSD head, said the party's national leadership has distanced itself from the local coalition.  full story

Romani transgender man, famous as subject of Czechoslovak film, commits suicide

Brno, 6.11.2014 2:47, (ROMEA) News server iDNES.cz reports that René Lízna, previously known as Eva Kováčová, has passed away. In the year 1984 the Romani girl set fire to a social care institute in the town of Měděnec in northern Bohemia, causing the death of 26 patients.  full story

Czech daycare club helps Romani parents who can't afford preschool

Ústí nad Labem, 6.11.2014 1:20, (ROMEA) News server Aktuálně.cz reports that the People in Need organization is in the second year of running a children's daycare group at the Mojžíř housing estate in Ústí nad Labem, serving Romani children. Approximately 10 preschoolers between the ages of three and five attend the group daily.  full story

Czech Police apprehend suspects in 2011 arson attempt on Romani family

Prague, 4.11.2014 17:05, (ROMEA) Police officers have apprehended two men suspected of having attacked a railway house occupied by Romani people with a Molotov cocktail three years ago in the Czech town of Krty (Rakovnice district). One person was lightly injured as a result.  full story

Czech Supreme Administrative Court upholds ban on neo-Nazi demonstration last year

Brno, 3.11.2014 17:23, (ROMEA) The Czech Supreme Administrative Court (Nejvyšší správní soud - NSS) has rejected a complaint concerning a ban on an assembly in the town of České Budějovice filed by neo-Nazi Pavel Matějný, who convened the event. The NSS said it was clear that the announced demonstration intended to threaten the Romani minority.  full story

Czech Gov't report finds Roma cannot access ordinary housing

Prague, 2.11.2014 22:53, (ROMEA) The number of impoverished ghettos and Romani families living in overpriced, substandard residential hotels significantly increased last year. Romani tenants' access to rental housing deteriorated during the same time period.  full story

Czech Military Intelligence: Ultra-right lacks leaders, individuals still dangerous

Prague, 2.11.2014 19:39, (ROMEA) Ultra-right extremists in the Czech Republic do not have a leading figure capable of coordinating their activities. That is the assessment of the Military Intelligence service's annual report for 2013.  full story

Czech journalist Michal Komárek and ROMEA win Vodafone Foundation grant

Prague, 31.10.2014 21:24, (ROMEA) This year's round of the Czech Vodafone Foundation's grant program saw 64 applicants. There were 12 projects in the final round whose authors presented their intentions to the expert jury.  full story

Commentary: What Roma Pride is about, and why it's not working

Prague, 29.10.2014 19:03, (ROMEA) At the start of this month, the third annual Roma Pride took place in the Czech Republic and many other European countries. This event is coordinated by the European Grassroots Anti-Racist Movement (EGAM) as an attempt to create a Europe-wide platform for civil rights on the model of the North American civil rights movement once led by figures such as Martin Luther King.  full story

Commentary: Zeman, consciously dividing Czech society, is no President

Prague, 29.10.2014 18:13, (ROMEA) We Czechs always manage to find something that will reliably divide us and invoke our emotions - and with them, our intransigence full of resentment towards others. Let's recall the presidential elections, when one camp attacked and the other counter-attacked.  full story

Czech EdMin removes Klaus from committee after nonprofits protest

Prague, 27.10.2014 17:59, (ROMEA) Former Czech President Václav Klaus will not sit on the preparatory committee for the new National Education Council (NEC). Czech Education Minister Marcel Chládek announced the change to Czech Radio yesterday.  full story

Czech intelligence: Protesting the ultra-right makes you "extremist", pro-Romani activists are "biased"

Prague, 27.10.2014 16:48, (ROMEA) Increased interethnic tensions in several regions last year represented the most significant risk factor to the democratic order of the Czech Republic, according to the Security Information Services (Bezpečnostní informační služby - BIS). Anti-Romani sentiment among certain segments of the public could become an even more significant problem for state security than the more extreme but less numerous right-wing radical groups.  full story

Czech Republic: Child prodigy performs at unique exhibit of Romani artist Rudolf Dzurko

Brno, 25.10.2014 20:02, (ROMEA) The Museum of Romani Culture in the Czech city of Brno has prepared a retrospective exhibition of the art of the late Rudolf Dzurko, "Rudolf Dzurko's Century of Catastrophes – Century of Miracles". The public will have a unique opportunity to view the works of one of the most appreciated Romani artists from 23 October to 20 March 2015.  full story

Commentary: Fascist pixies, come out of the Czech moss!

Czech Republic, 24.10.2014 23:50, (ROMEA) Fascist rhetoric was used by candidates from various groups during this year's municipal and Senate elections in the Czech Republic. To what degree was it ultimately successful?  full story