Czech Republic

Czech Police intervene against 1 000 extremists protesting refugee reception on state holiday marking November 1939 and 1989

18.11.2015 5:02 The main theme of today's events in the Czech Republic ostensibly commemorating the student victims of Nazism in 1939 and the student demonstrations in 1989 was in fact the current refugee crisis. Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) called on people to moderate the anger they feel about refugees.  full story

Czech Police refuse students access to 1989 memorial in advance of President joining anti-Islam activists for their event

17.11.2015 16:42 Czech President Miloš Zeman addressed an event organized by the Bloc against Islam (Blok proti islámu - BPI) on the occasion of the state holiday today and said those who disagree with the receiving of migrants should not be "labelled" Fascists, Islamophobes or racists. BPI is against refugee reception.  full story

Analysis: Will Czech President Zeman make it into the 2015 extremism report?

17.11.2015 15:13 For almost 14 days the group called "We Don't Want Islam in the Czech Republic" (Islám v ČR nechceme - IVČRN) and its political wing, the Bloc against Islam (Bloc proti Islámu - BPI) have been constantly calling for people to attend an assembly in support of Czech President Miloš Zeman "in his opinions about immigration and Islam". The event is to take place at Albertov in Prague today on the anniversary of 17 November 1989 and 1939.  full story

Czech President's spokesperson calls proponents of refugee reception "the real extremists"

17.11.2015 2:16 Tuesday's state holiday in the Czech Republic will see reverent commemorations of the events of 17 November from the years of 1989 and 1939, as well as demonstrations against migration, against the rejection of refugees, and against Government policy. Police are warning against extremist provocation and will be deploying several hundred officers in Prague alone.  full story

Czech ministers warn that extremists may attempt provocations on state holiday 17 November

17.11.2015 0:54 During the public events in the Czech Republic on the 17 November state holiday there is the risk that extremists will attempt provocations, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Interior
Minister Milan Chovanec (both Czech Social Democrats - ČSSD) said today after meeting to discuss the current security threats facing the country. Sobotka said concerns over the course of the celebrations are connected to tensions in society sparked by the terrorist attacks in Paris.  full story

Czech Republic: Detainees condemn attacks in Paris and end hunger strike

16.11.2015 20:14 Refugees in the detention facility in Drahonice (Louny district) have condemned the terrorist attacks in Paris. They have reportedly ended their hunger strike to show respect for the suffering of Europeans.  full story

Julius Zajac: Let's defend Europe together, beginning with unity

15.11.2015 23:23 After the terrorist attacks in France, antagonism in the Czech Republic is growing against the so-called "optimists" ("sluníčkáři"). Who are they?  full story

Interview with Czech psychologist: Children's homes no substitute for parental love

13.11.2015 21:54 "I decided that instead of attempting to rescue 100 children at once, I would take one, two or three to be my own," Martina Vančáková told herself while still a student - and she and her husband today do actually care as foster parents for two Romani siblings in addition to their own two biological children. News server Romea.cz interviewed Vančáková, the psychologist who founded the "Our Romani Child" project at the Foster Care Center in Prague, about what children living in children's homes undergo, how to support the healthy identity of Romani children in a non-Romani foster family, and how to work with one's own prejudices.  full story

Czech Republic: Assembly announced in Prague in support of hunger-striking foreign detainees

12.11.2015 20:46 Evangelical clergyman Mikuláš Vymětal, who is working with foreign nationals protesting their detention in the Czech Republic by going on hunger strike, has informed the media of new developments in their situation: "The foreign nationals who are continuing their hunger strike to protest their detention in the facility at Drahonice were told by police officers at around 7 AM today that they should prepare to leave the facility. They were not told where they will be going. Yesterday evening police instructed them to take down signs the detainees had posted in the rooms where they are locked up that read 'Freedom' and 'We Are Not Terrorists'. The leadership of the detention center ultimately abandoned the idea of removing them because he concluded after interviewing them that they are peaceful. Today at 16:00 there will be an assembly in Prague at Klárov in the park near the Malostranská metro station to support the hunger strikers."  full story

Czech academics: Promoters of hate want to trample on the anniversary of 17 November

12.11.2015 18:54 Tomáš Zima, the Rector of Charles University in Prague, and the Deans of its Faculties headquartered at Albertov in Prague have issued a statement against the possible abuse of the upcoming 17 November holiday by people espousing bigotry, hatred and intolerance. While the academics do not give concrete details in their statement, it is known that a demonstration by the Bloc against Islam has been planned for the state holiday next Tuesday at Albertov.  full story

Czech Republic: Asylum-seekers on hunger strike, number of injured rising

11.11.2015 21:09 The situation in a refugee facility in the Czech town of Drahonice (Louny district) escalated in the late afternoon today. The Czech Police report that two asylum-seekers have injured themselves and another injured himself after attempting to attack a member of the security forces there.  full story

Czech Gov't Inter-ministerial Commission on Roma holds two-day meeting on Romani affairs

11.11.2015 19:55 Inclusive education, the Romani Integration Strategy to 2020 and proposals from the Czech Interior Ministry in the areas of crime prevention and increasing safety in socially excluded localities have been discussed today and yesterday by experts in Romani affairs from all over the Czech Republic in the town of Pardubice. The meeting is being held by the Czech Government Inter-ministerial Commission on Romani Community Affairs.  full story

Czech Human Rights Minister: We face a crisis fed by fear

11.11.2015 18:36 "We are facing a crisis fed by fear. In the debate being conducted about the refugee crisis, security measures are being constantly emphasized, but not much is being said about the humanitarian aspects," Czech Human Rights Minister Jiří Dienstbier says.  full story

Czech Gov't Agency for Social Inclusion wants to focus more on activation and community work

10.11.2015 23:46 The Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion is preparing to open up centers in three regions in January. Branches of the Agency should open in Ostrava, Prague, and Ústí nad Labem.  full story

Czech reporter's articles promote anti-Romani stereotypes through half-truths and manipulation

9.11.2015 21:49 The Czech daily Mladá fronta DNES and its Internet portal iDNES.cz have published a series of articles describing the development to date of a project in the town of Přerov spearheaded by local councilor Jiří Kohout, who has also been chair of the Public Affairs (VV) party since last year. The aim of the project was supposed to be (and still is) the employment of persons who have long been unemployed.  full story

Romani evictees seek compensation from town, Czech Supreme Court to review case

9.11.2015 4:38 The case of the Romani residents of Vsetín who were removed from its territory and relocated to villages outside of the Zlín Region nine years ago will be addressed by the Czech Supreme Court. The Romani plaintiffs believe the town violated their fundamental human rights by removing them.  full story

Commentary: Czech conference of Islamophobes moved from the Senate to a hotel

9.11.2015 0:11 This was the appropriate place: The Hotel Svornost in Dolní Počernice. The sponsors were also appropriate, with costs being covered by the clubs of senators from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, the North Bohemians (Severočechy) and the "Citizens' Rights Party" (Strana práv občanů - SPO).  full story

Czech Labor and Social Affairs Ministry plans financing of social housing as discussion of new law proceeds

8.11.2015 1:22 The Czech Labor Ministry is counting on a big portion of the money now used for housing benefits being transferred in the future into the financing of the country's social housing system. The money should be transferred to municipalities.  full story

Czech sociologists: Economic crisis contributed to rising exclusion, but society is mainly to blame

8.11.2015 0:26 Why has there been growth recently in the number of excluded localities and the number of people living in them? Czech MP Ivan Gabal, who is also a sociologist, and his colleague from the GAC company, Karel Čada, have contributed their analysis of the issue to the Czech daily Hospodářské noviny.  full story

Czech study shows most non-Romani parents seek schools with few or no Romani pupils

7.11.2015 21:55 Children from socially excluded areas who do not receive adequate support during preschool age are more at risk of school failure than their non-excluded peers. That is the finding of a study focused on the inclusion of preschool-aged Romani children presented on 5 November by the Open Society Fund Prague.  full story