Czech Republic

Czech Republic: Museum of Romani Culture director says economic situation of Roma deteriorating

30.11.2015 16:57 The Museum of Romani Culture in Brno, Czech Republic, which will celebrate 25 years of existence next year, is attempting to influence both the majority society and Romani people equally. The Museum aids Romani people in finding their roots and maintaining their traditions while attempting to disseminate information and refute some of the prejudices and stereotypes held about them by others.  full story

Drahomír Radek Horváth: Criticizing the Pope's reception of Romani people is disgraceful

30.11.2015 4:27 On 26 October 2015 Pope Francis met with several thousand Roma and Sinti. "The aim of this event is to remind Romani people and the entire community that the Church is open to those who live on the outskirts of society," the Vatican communicated ahead of the meeting.  full story

Czech Theater of the Oppressed festival - Divufest 2015 - ends today

28.11.2015 3:59 Performances by actors' groups throughout the Czech Republic and a German partner organization, a three-day training of jokers led by experienced instructor Terry O'Leary and workshops of the Theater of the Oppressed for advanced and beginning performers from Germany (Hamze Bytyci and Christoph Leucht) are part of the second annual festival of the Theater of the Oppressed, Divufest 2015. The workshops are free of charge and interpreted into Czech.  full story

Czech President: The migration crisis is an organized invasion, PM's position risks the country's security

27.11.2015 23:58 Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD), according to Czech President Miloš Zeman, is risking the security of the Czech Republic through his position on the refugee crisis. The President told the Czech daily Mladá fronta DNES that the current migration wave is an organized invasion.  full story

Czech authorities indict leader of anti-Islam movement for inciting hatred on Facebook

25.11.2015 21:24 The chair of the Bloc against Islam, Martin Konvička, was charged with inciting hatred against Muslims on 18 November over remarks he posted to Facebook. His legal representative, Klára Samková, announced the news to journalists yesterday.  full story

Czech Constitutional Court rejects complaint from perpetrator of machete attack serving 17.5 years in prison

23.11.2015 23:47 The Czech Constitutional Court (Ústavní soud - ÚS) has rejected a complaint from Vojtěch Husák, one of the perpetrators of a machete attack on the personnel of a bar in the town of Nový Bor several years ago who received the longest sentence. He is currently serving 17.5 years in prison.  full story

Czech Republic: Interview with homeless Romani mother who grew up in children's homes

23.11.2015 22:45 Nikol is a young Romani woman who lives on the street and is expecting her second child (the state took away her first one). Her boyfriend is a drug user, but seems to be reducing his intake.  full story

Czech Republic: New campaign combats hate online

23.11.2015 20:30 The Czech Government's Hate Free Culture campaign has issued the following press release:  full story

Commentary: Martin Konvička, the crime of preparing apartheid and the segregation of Romani children

22.11.2015 13:23 It occurred to one journalist to ask a police spokesperson whether the Police of the Czech Republic are undertaking an investigation or proceedings concerning incitement to hatred of religion in connection with the group called "We Don't Want Islam in the Czech Republic". Its representative, Martin Konvička, was seconded on Tuesday, 17 November, by the President of the Republic, Miloš Zeman - alongside representatives of the ultra-right "Dawn" (Úsvit) and the Citizens' Rights Party (SPO) - at a demonstration at Albertov in Prague.  full story

Czech Republic: Analysis shows number of persons in need of affordable housing is rising in Frýdlant district

21.11.2015 17:56 A new situational analysis of the Frýdlant district has pointed out there is a growing number of persons in need of housing, not enough municipally-owned social apartments, and "trafficking in poverty" is blossoming. One area focused on by the authors of the analysis was housing in socially excluded localities.  full story

Czech Constitutional Court rejects complaint from convener of banned anti-Romani assembly

21.11.2015 17:06 Local authorities did not make an error when they banned an assembly and march in the town of České Budějovice in 2013 out of concerns over extremism. The Czech News Agency has ascertained from the database of the findings and rulings of the Constitutional Court (Ústavní soud - ÚS) that it has rejected a complaint filed against that decision by the convener of the assembly, Pavel Matějný.  full story

Czech Radio creates online broadcasts about children's homes

21.11.2015 16:14 Lukáš Kotlár, the Editor-in-Chief of the children's magazine Zámeček ("Mansion"), and his colleague Albín Augustin Balát have created an online radio station called DD Rádio - Rádio dětských domovů (DD Radio - Children's Homes Radio). "Annually around 1 000 young people leave children's homes and a similar number enter them. We will broadcast for the children and employees of these homes, but we also want to bring news from their world to the public," Kotlár said; news server Romea.cz conducted the following interview with him.  full story

Commentary: You have the floor, so babble and manipulate people

21.11.2015 14:02 News server Romea.cz is republishing in full translation the following commentary by Bob Kartous from the EDUin NGO, written after he participated in the episode broadcast on 9 November of the Czech Television talk show "You Have the Floor" (Máte slovo) as a guest. The topic of the program was inclusion in the schools.  full story

Czech PM: The President should not attend events organized by xenophobes

20.11.2015 17:23 Speaking in an interview for the Czech daily Hospodářské noviny (HN), Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) said the Czech President should not make appearances at events organized by xenophobic sects disseminating hatred. The PM said he believes that by giving a speech on the state holiday of 17 November at Albertov in Prague side-by-side with representatives of the extremist Bloc against Islam group, President Zeman has now joined the populists who are feeding like parasites on people's fears of the so-called Islamic State and the migration crisis.  full story

EU diplomacy head cancels visit to Prague, probably because of President's remarks

20.11.2015 16:48 The head of EU diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, cancelled a visit to Prague yesterday, probably because some Czech politicians are automatically connecting Islam and refugees with terrorism without differentiation. Czech Radio reported the decision with reference to a highly-placed EU source.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister: President Zeman is helping the fascisization of Czech society

20.11.2015 16:17 Czech Minister for Human Rights and Legislation Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) is convinced that Czech President Zeman is aiding in the creation of an atmosphere for the fascisization of Czch society. In an interview for the Czech News Agency on 18 November, he said that some remarks made by the head of state are Islamophobic, xenophobic, and are creating fear in society.  full story

Commentary: Czech PM's hypocrisy and activists' unnecessary helpfulness

19.11.2015 0:37 Is Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka a courageous, sharp politician unafraid of going against the "voice of the people"? Well-known activist Jan Piňos thinks so.  full story

Czech Police found knives, truncheons and other weapons on 30 attendees of yesterday's anti-Islam event

18.11.2015 23:48 Tomáš Hulan, spokesperson for the Prague Police, announced on the official website that police arrested 20 people during demonstrations in Prague on the 17 November holiday on suspicion of assaulting officers and rioting. Police found knives, truncheons and other weapons on 30 people who participated in the Bloc against Islam event at Albertov.  full story

Four anti-Nazi fighters received the Memory of Nations award in Prague

18.11.2015 21:18 Four fighters against Nazism were awarded the Memory of Nations (Paměti národa) award in Prague yesterday, including two resistance fighters, a soldier who defended Tobruk, and a woman who escaped a death march. Jana Háková of the organizing association Post Bellum told the Czech News Agency that on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, this year was dedicated to figures from the Czech Republic and Slovakia who stood up to Nazism.  full story

Czech university administrators, students issue statements about police banning access for students and teachers to 17 November memorial

18.11.2015 19:18 Statement from Bohumil Gaš, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Charles University  full story