Category Archives: Czech Republic

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Conference on the Genocide

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Conference on the Genocide

Preserving the memories of the survivors and survivors of the genocide of the Roma during Holocaust and passing them on to future generations was the main topic of the three-day Czech-German conference, which took place at the Straka Academy and was dedicated to the memory of the murdered Roma and Sinti during World War II. The conference was organized by the Institute for Contemporary History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of the war.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Award in Brno

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Award in Brno

Jozef Miker, a well-known Roma activist and human rights fighter, received the Museum of Roma Culture Award for 2025. The ceremony took place on Thursday, October 23, at 4 p.m. in Brno and was broadcast live by the first Roma internet television.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Elections

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Czech Elections

A commentary on the outcome of the recent elections in Czechia. Babiš’ party, while coming first in the elections doesn’t have enough seats to form a government. His possibility is to align and enter a coalition with extreme right parties which are profoundly racist. In addition, they are pro-Russian and anti-EU, which the majority of the Czech electorate is not.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Successful Singer

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Successful Singer

“I believe that success is not about skin colour, but about work, talent and attitude,” says Romani singer Štefan Pecha, who breaks stereotypes and brings authenticity to the stage.

The singer with a distinctive voice and unmistakable energy is not afraid to connect tradition with modern music in his work. In the interview, he speaks openly about his Roma roots, the search for authenticity and what it is like to follow your own path on the Czech music scene.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia, Elections, and Roma

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Czechia, Elections, and Roma

According to the findings of Romea.cz, at least sixteen Romani men and women ran for the Chamber of Deputies in this year’s elections, which represents the highest number since the beginning of systematic monitoring of Romani participation in elections. Nevertheless, none of them managed to penetrate the lower chamber of Parliament. The most successful Roma candidate was Josef Tokár (SPOLU, South Bohemia), who received 1,335 preferential votes. Jaroslav Miko (STAN, Prague) finished in second place with 818 votes, and Milan Sýs (Stačilo!, Pardubice Region) took the imaginary third place, who received 598 votes.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Elections

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Czech Elections

Czech Roma are becoming more interested in elections every year. According to estimates, about 150 thousand of them have the opportunity to vote. The prevailing opinion in society is that many mainly vote for Andrej Babiš’s ANO party, but Ľavica is also popular.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Regional Coordinators

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Czechia: Regional Coordinators

A working meeting of regional coordinators for Roma affairs, Roma advisors, field workers, representatives of local governments and state administration took place in Pardubice on September 18 and 19. The aim of the two-day event was to deepen cooperation between institutions and methodologically support the implementation of integration measures. The main focus was on the prevention of anti-Gypsyism in public administration and intergroup relations. The event was co-organized by the Pardubice Region, the Department of Human Rights and Protection of Minorities of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic and the Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková.

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The Catholic Church and Roma

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The Catholic Church and Roma

A Roma delegation from the Czech Republic led by Karel Karika, Chairman of the Czechoslovak Roma Union, today attended a general audience with Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square. Representatives of the Roma community delivered an exceptional message to the Holy Father: They requested the symbolic lifting of the excommunication of Roma from the Catholic Church, which was declared in 1427 and not abrogated to this day!

Pope Leo XIV also signed a Romanes translation of the Bible during a personal meeting with a Roma delegation from the Czech Republic.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Elections

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Czech Elections

Roma conservative politician Josef Tokár is running in the South Bohemian Region for the SPOLU coalition in 21st place on the candidate list. In the pre-election special of the SODAcast podcast, he talked about his journey to the ODS, why he decided to enter politics, and also about the problems he considers key – from education to discrimination to migration and the Green Deal.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Elections

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Czechia and Elections

Roma must learn to understand their vote as an option, not as a lost hope – even a bad decision is better than none. This was emphasized in the pre-election special of the SODA podcast by Jan Dužda, a Roma activist and Roma regional coordinator for Prague. In a debate with SODAcast authors Patrik Banga and Zdeněk Ryšavý, he spoke about the barriers to Roma entering politics, low turnout, and the need for voter education.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Roma Road Show

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Roma Road Show

Successful Roma projects were presented at the Roma Road Show conference in the Chamber of Deputies. Representatives of organizations showed that community involvement is the key to positive changes.

The Roma Road Show conference was initiated by the Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková and took place on Tuesday in the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The aim was to present inspiring community projects and open a debate with politicians and public administration representatives about their benefits. According to Fuková, improving the situation of Roma is a benefit for the whole society.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Romanes in Czechia

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Romanes in Czechia

Phen oda romanes (Say it in Romanes) – a two-day series of workshops focused on written Romani will take place on October 4 in Třebechovice and November 22 in Prague. The event is intended for novice and experienced authors, journalists, translators and students of Romani studies – both Roma and the majority. The workshops will be led by experts in Czech and Romanes and will offer space for creative writing, translations (e.g. of biblical and judicial texts) and sharing experiences.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Baruvas

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Baruvas

Over forty Roma high school and university students from all over the country participated in the twenty-sixth Baruvas meeting (Romanes “we grow”) in the Jizera Mountains at the end of August. The program offered workshops on hate speech, Roma history, Romani language and traditions, working with emotions, activism, a healthy lifestyle and a space for sharing and support.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Brno: Racism

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Brno: Racism

A Roma first-year student in a primary school in the Brno-North district has become the target of attacks on social networks after a Facebook user took a photo taken by the boy’s mother and shared it with the comment: That feeling when a glutton fails 3 times in first grade.

A number of offensive comments subsequently appeared under the post, attacking the child’s ethnicity and appearance. The behavior was condemned in a joint statement by representatives of the city district and the principals of local schools. “Someone misused the photo, people spread it further on social networks, where hate speech appeared under it, especially during Tuesday afternoon.

At least the police is doing something…

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Conference on Genocide Research

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Conference on Genocide Research

In mid-September, a 3 days Czech-German conference on the current challenges facing genocide research will be held in Lety. Entitled “The legacy of Romani and Sinti survivors across the generations”, the conference will bring together activists, the descendants of such survivors, historians, researchers, and representatives of public institutions to discuss current forms of commemorating this tragedy, the ethical challenges connected to researching the genocide of the Roma and Sinti, the intergenerational transmission of trauma, and memory policy.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Pavel “Sliško” Krtek

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Pavel “Sliško” Krtek

The Roma activist Pavel Sliško Krtek died at 51 and was buried on August 27.

May he rest in peace, and te ovel i phuv lokhi.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Racism in Czechia

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Racism in Czechia

An editorial against a racist article in the Czech press. This is unfortunately still too common in the country, where stereotypes and clichés dominate the view about Roma.

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