Czech Republic

Czech Republic: Hundreds march against nationalism in Prague on 17 November

18.11.2016 12:17 Approximately 500 people attended yesterday's demonstration in Prague called "Nationalism Is No Alternative", which drew attention to growing authoritarianism in politics and growing racism and xenophobia in society. The march began in front of the main train station and ended at Jungmannovo náměstí and was organized by the "No to Racism" Initiative.  full story

Czech PM on 17 November: A democratic state must have a strong social welfare dimension

18.11.2016 10:55 Yesterday morning people began bringing candles and flowers to the memorial to 17 November 1989 on Národní třída in Prague. Some of the first to arrive were Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, the chair of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babiš, head of the ANO movement, and the chair of the Senate, Milan Štěch (ČSSD).  full story

Czech Republic: Hundreds protest the President's politics

18.11.2016 10:06 Hundreds of people assembled yesterday afternoon on Hradčanské náměstí in Prague, where organizers convened a gathering against populism and the politics of Czech President Miloš Zeman. After listening to speeches, the participants marched to Wenceslas Square, where a concert to celebrate the state holiday of the Day of the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy took place.  full story

Czech Republic: Dozens of events on 17 November in Prague - including ultra-right ones

18.11.2016 9:38 Yesterday, people in the Czech Republic commemorated the historical events connected with 17 November, when German Nazis murdered students in 1939 and 50 years later the communists in power used police brutality against students. In Prague there were dozens of events underway - assemblies, carnival marches, cultural "happenings", demonstrations and marches.  full story

Demonstration TODAY in Prague: "Nationalism is No Alternative", organized by the "No to Racism!" Initiative

17.11.2016 7:10 The "No to Racism!" Initiative (Ne rasismu!), which describes itself as an anti-fascist student organization, is holding a demonstration in Prague today to draw attention to the fact that mainstream politics is constantly shifting rightward toward authoritarianism and populism and that racism is becoming the norm of Czech society. The demonstration begins at 10 AM in front of the main train station in the capital.  full story

In echo of totalitarian past, 60 Czech MPs want anybody "defaming" the President to serve a year in prison

16.11.2016 20:21 A group of 60 Czech MPs wants to make it a crime once more to publicly defame the President, punishable by up to a year in prison, a proposal that has drawn a reaction of rejection from other politicians, including Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD). Representatives of the right-wing opposition called the bill reminiscent of the normalization era of the 1970s and a "return to the Communist protection of whoever happens to be a big cheese".  full story

Karel Holomek: Czech Gov't Roma Council has a new chair after cabinet reshuffle

16.11.2016 17:31 Czech Prime Minister Sobotka has replaced two of his ministers, Health Minister Svatopluk Němeček and Human Rights and Legislation Minister Jiří Dienstibier, who was also the chair of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs. The newly-appointed Human Rights Minister is the lawyer and Social Democratic MP Jan Chvojka.  full story

Czech MP Jeroným Tejc wants to propose amendment to accelerate deportations and alter Charter of Fundamental Rights

16.11.2016 7:33 The Czech MP Jeroným Tejc (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) wants to propose an amendment to the law on asylum to accelerate the process of deportation for rejected asylum seekers. He is also considering altering or eliminating the article in the Czech Republic's Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms that guarantees the right to asylum to foreign nationals who have been persecuted elsewhere for asserting their political rights and freedoms.  full story

Czech Television reports hundreds of Romani people to become homeless in the New Year

15.11.2016 8:39 Hundreds of impoverished people in Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic, may end up homeless after 1 January 2017. The Dolfin Real Estate company is selling as many as eight apartment buildings in the neighborhood around Cejl Street where dozens of mainly Romani families with small children currently live.  full story

Commentary: Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day in the Czech Republic after still-unexplained death of Romani man

14.11.2016 18:53 After the incident in Žatec it is hard for me to write, for many reasons. Thanks to my work with the "theater of the oppressed" I have relatively a lot of friends in the Romani community linked to my Facebook profile, so from afar I am following what is going on with them, and I must say it is not light reading.  full story

Marcel Ščuka: Romani man's corpse was not properly refrigerated, Czech Police allegedly lost his clothes

13.11.2016 19:46 Marcel Ščuka, a Romani community member who attended Friday's meeting with Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec regarding the death of Miroslav Demeter, a young Romani man, on 18 October in a pizzeria in the town of Žatec, recapitulated what happened at the meeting by broadcasting live through his Facebook profile and revealed some information about the ongoing investigation. Ščuka also called for the establishment of a new Romani political movement.  full story

Czech private foundation will raise money to honor Romani victims of the Holocaust - including from Roma

13.11.2016 17:46 In August of this year the Foundation for Memorials to Victims of the Romani Holocaust (Nadační fond památníků obětem romského holocaustu) was established with the aim of raising money for new memorials or the reconstruction and renovation of existing ones to the Romani victims of the Holocaust on the territory of the Czech Republic. The members of the administrative board of the foundation include Alica Sigmund Heráková, an expert at the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno; Karel Holomek, chair of the Society of Roma in Moravia, based in Brno; Gejza Horváth, a musician and staffer with the IQ Roma servis NGO in Brno; former Czech Human Rights Minister Michael Kocáb; and former Czech Foreign Minister and current MP Karel Schwarzenberg.  full story

Incoming Czech Human Rights Minister authored amendment on anti-corruption

12.11.2016 7:55 Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) informed Czech President Zeman of his intention to replace both the Health and Human Rights Ministers yesterday before announcing it to the public. When the Czech News Agency asked Zeman's spokesperson Jiří Ovčáček whether Zeman agreed with the dismissal of the ministers, he first said he had no comment on the decision, then added: "As far as J. Dienstbier goes, the President's long-held opinion is known."  full story

Czech principal sharing building with all-Romani school does all she can to avoid social contact with its pupils

11.11.2016 19:30 The Czech School Inspection Authority is investigating the J.A. Komenský Primary School in Brno over some undignified measures that it has taken. The building of the school is undergoing reconstruction, so its management has had to agree to an offer made to it by a different primary school, ZŠ Merhautova, which owns two buildings, one on Merhautova Street and one on Vranovská Street.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani driver hospitalized after police tried to stop him filming them with his phone

11.11.2016 18:27 On Saturday, 5 November 2016 at around noon an incident occurred between the Romani driver of a personal vehicle and police officers who pulled him over at the Máj housing estate in the city of České Budějovice. After the driver attempted to use his mobile phone to film one of the officers during the inspection, a tussle ensued over the phone and the Romani man was then forced to lie down on the ground, where he was handcuffed.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani Holocaust survivors' association chair says he has no reason to doubt pig farm will go

11.11.2016 17:28 At the beginning of this week, the Czech Government approved a proposal to close the operations of the pig farm that is now located on the site of the former concentration camp at Lety by Písek and has commissioned assessments of the valuation of the land. News server Romea.cz has asked Čeněk Růžička, a member of the Czech Government Council on Romani Community Affairs and chair of the Committee for the Redress of the Romani Holocaust in the Czech Republic (VPORH), how he views recent developments around the pig farm, which he has long striven to remove.  full story

videoCzech Interior Minister meets with representatives of family of deceased Romani man

11.11.2016 16:49 Today at 13:00 a meeting was held between Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) and Deputy Police Director Martin Vondrášek with the legal representatives and members of the Demeter family, whose son died under still-unexplained circumstances on 18 October in the Czech town of Žatec. The meeting with the minister was attended by Romani community members Martin Bajger, Jan Čonka, Vladimír Hamouz, Josef Stojka and Marcel Ščuka.  full story

Czech Prime Minister Sobotka announces that Health and Human Rights Ministers are leaving

11.11.2016 16:25 Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) unexpectedly announced at a press conference today at 15:30 that there will definitely be changes to those holding the posts of Health Minister and Human Rights Minister. He said he had already informed both the Czech President and the leadership of the Social Democrats of the changes to the cabinet.  full story

Czech politician and sports figure convicted of buying Romani votes

11.11.2016 10:30 The former Deputy Mayor of Most, Hana Jeníčková, was sentenced on Monday, 7 November 2016 to eight months in prison, conditionally postponed for one year, for obstructing the preparation and conduct of the municipal elections there in 2014. The same punishment was handed down against the former director of the sports hall in Most, Jan Hašek.  full story

Commentary: The local dispute over "counting Roma"

11.11.2016 8:03 A very typical dispute about the "counting of Romani children" has exploded in the Czech towns of Krásná Lípa and Rumburk. Local media distortions are a part of it.  full story