Czech Republic

Academic research finds no differences between Czech and Romani pupils' delinquent behavior

6.5.2016 9:39 According to a new study performed by the University of Kentucky in collaboration with the Institute for Psychology at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and published in the prestigious Journal of Criminal Justice, no differences were found between Czech and Romani pupils attending the same schools when it came to alcohol use, school misconduct, or theft. The website of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic reported the publication on 2 May.  full story

Czech Republic: Terezín Commission refuses NGO request to officially fly the LGBTQ and Romani flags during commemoration

5.5.2016 22:26 Jan Munk, the director of the Terezín Memorial who also chairs the Commission for the Preparation of the Terezín Commemoration, has refused a request from 14 organizations that the LGBTQ (rainbow) and Romani flags be flown next to the flags of various states during the 15 May event. "At the national cemetery in Terezín where this commemoration takes place, the flags of all the nations whose members fell victim to Nazi persecution and who passed through the concentration camps are flown during the commemoration ceremony. For many of those people, their distressing journey began by being transported to Terezín. To our great surprise, there is no Romani flag flown at Terezín even though, together with Jewish people, it is the Roma as a group who were affected most by Nazi persecution in the Czech lands," the organizations said in an open letter.  full story

Czech President says he vetoed education amendment because of inclusion

5.5.2016 8:53 Czech President Miloš Zeman has vetoed an amendment to the Schools Act that would introduce mandatory school-leaving examinations in mathematics and places in preschools for two-year-old children. Jiří Ovčáček, spokesperson for the Office of the President, communicated the news to the Czech News Agency yesterday.  full story

Commentary: Czech tabloid quotes Romani man as opposing inclusive education, other Romani representatives respond

3.5.2016 7:52 The Czech tabloid Blesk.cz has been engaged in a campaign to prevent the closure of the separate special needs schools and to prevent the abolition of the "Appendix to the Framework Education Program on Mild Mental Disability". As part of that campaign, the tabloid chose to contact Andrej Lučka, the regional chair of the Romani Democratic Party in Rokycany and the chair of the "Help Roma" organization (and apparently a special school graduate himself), who told the tabloid, among other things, that he will "Defend [his] practical and special school at any cost, even with pitchforks".  full story

Czech Republic's quarterly report on extremism: Ultra-right trend is anti-immigration, ultra-left is unable to unify

2.5.2016 9:46 The main topics taken up by Czech extremist groups during the first quarter of 2016 were a critique and rejection of the European Union and migration. The Czech Interior Ministry published its Summary Situation Report on Extremism on 26 April.  full story

Czech Republic: Neo-Nazis try to provoke local Roma in Přerov during 1 May protest

2.5.2016 7:20 An assembly and march by about 30 neo-Nazis from the National Regeneration (Národní obroda - NO) group took place yesterday in Přerov. The leader of the NO, Pavel Matějný, gave a speech very similar to those he has given to previous such assemblies.
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videoCzech Republic: 1 May assemblies against refugee reception and against xenophobia, right-wing extremists verbally assault journalists

1.5.2016 17:22 Since the early morning hours of 1 May there have been peaceful demonstrations, marches, and traditional assemblies throughout the entire Czech Republic. One demonstration against tax havens and xenophobia was attended by 250 people and began on the Square of the Republic in Prague.  full story

Czech lower house committee recommends not expanding ombudsman's powers

1.5.2016 15:04 The Czech lower house may not decide to expand the powers of the Public Defender of Rights (ombudsman) after all, as on 29 April its Constitutional Law Committee recommended supporting amendments that would remove from a proposed Government bill the option for the ombudsman to ask the Constitutional Court to repeal legislation in whole or in part and the option for the ombudsman to bring public interest lawsuits in cases of discrimination. The plenary could decide on the bill this month.  full story

Prague council members for ODS say Government's EU-funded "HateFree" campaign is an example of left-wing "extremism"

1.5.2016 13:53 Prague City council member Matěj Stropnický (Green Party/Trojkoalice) proposed earlier this week that City Hall become a "HateFree Zone", but his motion did not receive enough votes to pass. In a resolution that did pass, however, the City Council rejected violence no matter what political ideology inspires it.  full story

Czech Police charge racist activist Adam B. Bartoš with crimes against humanity

1.5.2016 12:49 On 29 April the Prague Police charged the chair of the ultra-right National Democracy group, Adam B. Bartoš, with three counts of crimes against humanity. Police say he has committed those crimes through the content of his book and other writings he has published, as well as through his public speeches.  full story

Czech activist acquitted of assaulting police officer

30.4.2016 16:42 On 28 April the Municipal Court in Prague acquitted activist Kateřina Krejčová of allegedly assaulting a police officer at a demonstration. According to the verdict, the activist not only never intended to injure the officer, but could not have injured him even if she had wanted to.  full story

Czech Republic: Criminal investigation to be sought over Romani Democratic Party's annual report

30.4.2016 15:02 Czech MPs from the Audit Committee in the lower house, which is in charge of monitoring political parties' annual reports, are of the opinion that the annual financial report of the Romani Democratic Party for 2015 contains a falsified auditor's statement. The MPs are apparently planning to file a criminal report in the matter.  full story

Czech Government condemns vandals for painting Nazi symbols around Prague

30.4.2016 14:19 At a cabinet session Thursday the Czech Government condemned those responsible for the vituperative graffiti that appeared at several locations in Prague last weekend. The perpetrators drew predominantly Nazi symbols on various buildings.  full story

Czech daily: Police investigations of hate attacks are remarkably ineffective

30.4.2016 13:34 The online news server Lidovky.cz has published a summary of recent hate attacks in the Czech Republic and the developments to date in their investigations. The article describes the circumstances of five cases, each of which has received particular media attention.  full story

Czech Republic: 11 organizations call on Terezín to fly the LGBTQ and Romani flags during traditional commemoration

29.4.2016 11:22 Eleven organizations working on LGBTQ and Romani topics have called on the Terezín Memorial to fly the LGBTQ (Rainbow) flag and the Romani flag next to the flags of nations whose members fell victim to Nazi persecution. "To our great surprise, there is no Romani flag flown at Terezín even though, together with Jewish people, it is the Roma as a group who were affected most by Nazi persecution in the Czech lands. More than 90 % of the interwar Romani population did not survive racial persecution and the war itself," the organizations write in an open letter to the members of the Commission for the Organization of the Terezín commemoration, which news server Romea.cz is publishing here in full translation.  full story

Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren supports its Diakonie organization after right-wing radical attack

28.4.2016 7:00 The leadership of the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren has expressed support for its Diakonie organization in Prague after an attack by right-wing radicals who spray-painted its headquarters with threatening messages last weekend. In a statement released yesterday, members of the church leadership said aggression and calling for the death of others contravenes the spirit of the gospel.  full story

Czech Republic: 2 000 demonstrate against racism in Prague after neo-Nazis graffiti "HateFree" cafés

27.4.2016 15:11 On 25 April as many as 2 000 people assembled on Jiřího z Poděbrad Square in Prague to protest against the fact that several businesses and metro stations in Prague were spray-painted with neo-Nazi slogans and symbols over the weekend. Organizers of Monday's event, called "Prague is Not Afraid", wanted to demonstrate that there is no place in Czech society for Nazi ideology and violence.  full story

Czech Republic: Demonstrations for and against receiving migrants in Ostrava

27.4.2016 11:57 Opponents and proponents of the reception of migrants demonstrated on Saturday afternoon in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic. A total of approximately 200 people on either side assembled at two different locations in the city.  full story

ROMEA to hold public debate on "Roma in the Czech Republic - obstacles, opportunities, options" TOMORROW

27.4.2016 11:14 The ROMEA organization will be holding a public debate, "Roma in the Czech Republic - obstacles, opportunities, options" on Thursday, 28 April at the National Minorities House (Vocelova 3, Praha 2). The event will have three sections, the first of which will focus on supporting the higher education of Romani people by providing scholarships.  full story

International study claims Romani children still discriminated against in education in Europe

26.4.2016 11:35 While the situation is slowly improving, discrimination and segregation of Romani children in the Czech education system still persists more than eight years after the judgment in the case of "D.H. and Others versus the Czech Republic". In that judgment, the European Court for Human Rights ruled that 18 Romani children had been illegally assigned to "special schools".  full story