Czech Republic

E-mail, Twitter accounts of former Czech PM hacked to spread racist slogans

Prague, 14.10.2013 20:53, (ROMEA) Someone has hacked the e-mail and Twitter accounts of Vladimír Špidla, the former Czech prime minister and current shadow environment minister for the Czech Social Democrats (ČSSD) and used them to spread racist messages. Špidla blames right-wing extremists for the hack and has yet to regain control of his accounts.  full story

Jarmila Balážová: Czech Green Party bravely runs Romani candidates despite social atmosphere

Prague, 14.10.2013 19:39, (ROMEA) In recent days one of the most significant political events in the post-1989 era ever to concern Romani people and their participation in real decision-making (i.e., not just "advising" the authorities) about matters that influence hundreds of thousands of citizens of this country has taken place. A great deal has already being written here about Romani education, inclusion, integration, segregation, the "special" schools and the inability of Romani people to become more involved in designing the politics and strategies that influence their lives.  full story

Commentary: Romani unemployment endangers the Czech economy

13.10.2013 21:56, (ROMEA) According to estimates by the Czech Labor Office, the number of unemployed Romani people has significantly grown in recent years. While official statistics are not kept about the ethnicity of the unemployed, the Labor Office has produced its estimate for the Office of the Government to use as part of its reporting on how it is fulfilling its obligations as part of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015.  full story

Czech court overturns acquittal of former neo-Nazi party members

Prague, 12.10.2013 19:29, (ROMEA) At the end of September a Prague appeals court overturned the first-instance acquittal of former members of the now-defunct Workers' Party (Dělnická strana - DS) and other right-wing extremists charged with promoting neo-Nazism. Court spokesperson Zuzana Steinerová has confirmed the eight defendants will have to appear once more before the Prague 1 District Court.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani family says police broke into their home and beat them for no reason

Ústí nad Labem, 11.10.2013 21:16, (ROMEA) A visit by relatives to a Romani family residing at the Mojžíř housing estate in Ústí nad Labem ended with police intervening and beating up several people. The police raided the family last Sunday shortly after 10 PM on the basis of a complaint from a neighbor bothered by noise coming from their apartment.  full story

David Tišer, Roma candidate to the Czech lower house: My dream is fulfillment for all

Prague, 10.10.2013 23:23, (ROMEA) An unusually high number of Romani people are running in this year's early elections compared to years past. The monthly Romano voďi, published by the ROMEA association, has done its best to interview all the candidates running for the lower house and will run those interviews in addition to publishing analytical material about the elections.  full story

Czech Republic: Neo-Nazis plan anti-Roma event for 19 October in Ostrava

Ostrava, 10.10.2013 17:53, (ROMEA) Yet another anti-Roma event by right-wing radicals will take place in Ostrava on 19 October. The protest, following by a march through the town, was originally announced as beginning at the town hall, which is having its open house on that day.  full story

Czech Green Party: Romani volunteers helping campaign in the streets

Prague, 8.10.2013 23:14, (ROMEA) Hundreds of volunteers with the Green Party (Strana zelených - SZ) have taken to the streets of towns across the Czech Republic to familiarize voters with the party's program and introduce the Greens as a good choice for the October elections. Volunteers include the leaders of the SZ candidate lists, famous personalities, and citizens who want to support the Greens and joined the voter turnout project at www.kampanjstevy.cz.  full story

Czech Green Party candidate says more Roma interest in politics can fuel change

Pardubice, 8.10.2013 20:52, (ROMEA) An unusually high number of Romani people are running in this year's early elections compared to years past. The monthly Romano voďi, published by the ROMEA association, has done its best to interview all the candidates running for the lower house and will run those interviews in addition to publishing analytical material about the elections.  full story

Czech Republic: Neo-Nazis now at upscale addresses in Brno

Prague, 8.10.2013 17:29, (ROMEA) After several recent successes by antifascists in the city of Brno it might seem the struggle against neo-Nazis has been symbolically won there. In reality the neo-Nazis remain active in the Czech Republic's second-largest city and can be found at rather upscale addresses.  full story

Romea.cz reports Facebook group "Gypsies to the Gas Chambers", Facebook sees no problem

Prague, 7.10.2013 17:57, (ROMEA) The Czech administrators of the Facebook social networking site must really like racism. How else can their refusal to close a group named "Gypsies to the Gas Chambers" ("Cíkáni do plynu") be explained?  full story

videoCzech Republic: Roma Pride 2013 marches through Prague

Prague, 6.10.2013 20:48, (ROMEA) Approximately 300 people participated in the Roma Pride 2013 march today in Prague. The parade set out from the Old Town Square at around 13:00 for Prague Castle.  full story

Czech fact-checkers find untruth in interview with Romani party chair

Prague, 5.10.2013 18:38, (ROMEA) Miroslav Tancoš, the chair of the Romani Democratic Party (Romská demokratická strana - RDS), was recently featured in the Czech Television program "Interview with Daniela Drtinová" (Interview Daniely Drtinové). Tancoš presented the party's plans for the upcoming elections, in which it is fielding candidates in only a few regions.  full story

Czech Republic: Town approves fence around privatized ghetto locality as investor fails to deliver

Přerov, 5.10.2013 3:08, (ROMEA) A locality on Škodova Street in the Czech town of Přerov over which local government is involved in a lawsuit with property owners will soon be fenced off. The town council has agreed to the measure with the bankruptcy administrator for the firm that owns the property.  full story

Czech political parties agree pig farm on Roma Holocaust site should be removed

Prague, 5.10.2013 0:24, (ROMEA) The topic of journalist Martin Veselovský's fourth election special for Czech Radio on news server Rozhlas.cz was racism and relations toward minorities in the Czech Republic. Among the topics that were discussed was the possible removal of the pig farm located on the site of the former concentration camp for Romani people at Lety by Písek.  full story

Open letter to Czech Television: Talk show features anti-Roma bias, racist untruths

Prague, 4.10.2013 22:17, (ROMEA) A complaint has been sent to the board of Czech Television about Michaela Jílková, the moderator of its talk show program "Máte slovo" ("You Have the Floor"), specifically concerning a recent episode on the topic of Romani people and ultra-right extremism. The open letter points to her lack of professionalism, her inability to become better acquainted with the topics her program covers, and the biased shift against Romani people that she caused in a recent discussion through her inability to perform her role as moderator without sensationalizing the topic at hand.  full story

Czech Republic: Radicalization of Romani people increasing

Ostrava/Ústí nad Labem, 4.10.2013 17:19, (ROMEA) For some time now we have been observing that in several localities throughout the Czech Republic some Romani people, adolescents or young men in particular, have been radicalizing. Footage taken of the anti-Romani demonstrations earlier this year in České Budějovice shows us that the possibility of being filmed, either with a mobile device or video cameras, did not deter some Roma from responding to racist provocations there with violence.  full story

Platform for Social Housing critiques Czech Govt plans to institutionalize residential hotels

Prague, 4.10.2013 0:10, (ROMEA) The Platform for Social Housing has sent the Czech Regional Development Ministry (MMR) its comments and suggestions regarding the Government's draft Comprehensive Social Housing Policy (Komplexní řešení sociálního bydlení). According to the Government's Housing Concept 2020 (Koncepce bydlení do roku 2020), the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry and the MMR are supposed to produce a comprehensive policy on housing by the end of this year.  full story

Czech Republic: Neo-Nazis hack e-mail and Facebook accounts of anti-racist activists and candidates

Prague, 3.10.2013 22:09, (ROMEA) Approximately 10 racist images, texts, and videos were posted today by neo-Nazis onto the Facebook profile of the Změna ("Change") movement, which is running in the parliamentary elections. The attack was just the latest in a series committed by racists against the e-mail accounts and Facebook profiles of groups and individuals who have long protested against neo-Nazism and racism in the Czech Republic.  full story

Czech elections 2013: Green Party gets number 23 for early elections, runs nine Romani candidates

Prague, 2.10.2013 17:56, (ROMEA) The political parties have been given their voting numbers. The Green Party is running nine Romani candidates and has been given the number 23 for this year's elections to the lower house.  full story