Category Archives: Czech Republic

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Campaign

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Czechia: Campaign

The RomanoNet platform, covering more than fifteen Roma and pro-Roma organizations, is launching a new online campaign called “50 shades of anti-Roma racism in the Czech Republic”. The main goal of the campaign is to fight against prejudices, stereotypes and expressions of hateful behavior directed against the Roma.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: The Wall

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25 years ago, On October 25th, in the Czech town of Úští nad Labem, the local government built a fence made of prefabricated parts, which separated the Roma neighbourhood from the rest.

The structure, 1.8 meters high and 60 meters long, was removed after six weeks under pressure from the government and after protests by Czech and foreign human rights defenders, who saw it as a manifestation of racism.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Forced Sterilisations

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NGOs have called on the government to give victims of illegal sterilizations more time to claim compensation. According to them, the Ministry of Health does not process applications on time for a long time. The deadline now runs until the end of this year. And there are cases where the victims have been waiting for 554 days. The legal limit is 60 days …

This is bad faith on the Czech administration.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: An Attack

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A clash between a pupil and a teacher at a primary school in Koryčany in the Kroměříž region is still under investigation by the police. It is preliminarily classified as a misdemeanor. The family of a 12-year-old Roma boy is convinced that the teacher knocked the son to the ground and strangled him. The father of the Roma boy apologized for the threats he uttered to the residents of Koryčany.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: President Visit

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President Petr Pavel visited the Museum of Roma Culture after he had already visited the place of commemoration in Lety u Písek twice. The first time was last year on the occasion of the traditional May memorial gathering to honor the memory of the victims of the local camp. The second time was in April of this year during the ceremonial opening of the Roma and Sinti Holocaust Memorial in Bohemia.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Attack

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The case of an alleged attack by a teacher on a 12-year-old Roma primary school student is moving the people of Kory in the Kroměříž region these days. The locals’ view of this case is not uniform. Some people are surprised that the teacher allowed himself to be provoked, others are of the opinion that it is a fictional event and the attack did not take place.

Roma say this was racism.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Illegal Sterilisations

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The Human Rights League (LLP), Roma organizations and activists called on the government to extend the law on compensation for illegal sterilizations. Organizations criticized the Ministry of Health for prolonging the application process. By law, the resort has 60 days to do so, but in practice it can take several months to years. The ombudsman repeatedly criticized the ministry’s approach to compensation.

Dozens of women demonstrated in Ostrava for compensation for forced sterilization.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

EU, Czechia and Roma

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The European Commission has sent a formal notice to the Czech Republic for failing to comply with EU anti-discrimination rules, citing the continued segregation of Roma children in schools.

The Commission has found that many Roma children are disproportionately placed in schools for children with disabilities or in separate classes, despite reforms aimed at ending the segregation of Roma children.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czecha: Floods

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During the weekend, a group of Roma volunteers joined in helping people affected by the recent floods in Krnov, where thousands of people are still without electricity and water supplies. On Sunday, September 22, 2024, four Roma associations from different parts of the Czech Republic went to the affected area to provide material and physical support. Volunteers distributed food and actively participated in cleaning the city. Krnov is among the cities that were hit the hardest by the flood. Up to 80 percent of its territory was under water.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia, Floods, and Roma

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Roma from Ostrava and the surrounding area, who were affected by the recent floods, still report cases of unequal treatment in the provision of aid. The director of the Labor Office rejects accusations of unequal treatment of Roma affected by floods. Government agent Fuková has the opposite information.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Local Elections

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Romani men and women who ran for office in this year’s Czech regional elections were unsuccessful, and none of them will sit in regional councils. Elections in so-called socially excluded localities have traditionally been characterized by low turnout. However, it cannot be automatically concluded that the Roma as a whole did not go to vote, because not all Roma live in the excluded localities. From the statistics of the Czech Statistical Office, it is not possible to determine how many Roma participated in the elections and who they voted for.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Floods, Aid, and Roma

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Some Roma in Ostrava complain about the alleged unequal treatment of officials and the reluctance to pay them flood aid. According to the testimony of some Roma who lost their property, the conditions for obtaining this assistance are discriminatory and the attitude of the office staff was in some cases arrogant. Lucie Fuková, the government commissioner for the affairs of the Roma minority, immediately began to address the situation.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Floods

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The Cech towns of Krnov and Opava are struggling with the consequences of devastating floods that affected both cities. Flooded houses, mud and damaged infrastructure crippled the lives of local residents. The Roma community, like other residents, have lost everything and are in desperate need of basic assistance, including masonry dryers, hygiene supplies and food. Rescue work is complicated by a lack of equipment and access to the most affected areas, where coordinated interventions by volunteers, organizations and the army are taking place. Every minute is now crucial for the recovery of the affected cities.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Freed

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The district court in Karviná released Jaromír Lukeš on parole, convicted of an arson attack on Roma in Vítkov in 2009. Lukeš was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his attack with accomplices on a Roma house in Vítkov.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Elections

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Regional elections will take place on Friday and Saturday in 13 regions of the Czech Republic, with the exception of Prague. In the capital city, the function of the regional council is performed by the Prague City Council, which is elected in municipal elections. Voters in these counties will begin selecting their county representatives tomorrow afternoon. In a third of the state territory, including three Prague districts, they will also have the opportunity to decide on their senators.

Let’s see how many Roma are elected this time.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia, a Military Region, and Roma

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The story of a small vilalge called Květušín in Czechia, a village that was once German, and whose population was deported after the war, and became a military district. Roma settled there and the govrnment created a special school for Roma, promising children would be taken good care. The idea, however, was the create new people, and insulate them from their Roma background.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Roma Employment

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On Friday morning, a round table on the topic of Roma employment in the Moravian-Silesian region took place in the community center Vesnička sužítí in the Muglinov district of Ostrava. The main topic of discussion was the question of how to break down prejudices and improve cooperation between Roma workers and employers in the region. “The Roma want to work, and entrepreneurs in the Moravian-Silesian Region are also in demand for workers, but there is still mistrust and discrimination that prevents greater integration. We have to find a way to change this situation and encourage both sides to cooperate,” said MEP Zdechovský.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Meeting of Roma Coordinators

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A two-day meeting of regional coordinators for Roma affairs, civil members of the Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs, Roma advisers and field workers took place in Liberec. The aim of the event was education, exchange of experience and sharing of examples of good practice in the field of Roma integration in the Czech Republic. The emphasis was on communication and cooperation between all parties involved.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Prague, Music, and Roma

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David Kraus and the Gipsy brothers will provide support for Gregory Porter’s Prague concert at the O2 universeon November 4th.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Populists

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Tomio Okamura’s Czech SPD movement created a series of graphics and posters before the elections, on which the themes of refugees or the Roma minority are presented. One poster, for example, features a bloodied dark-skinned man with the caption that the SPD rejects “imported surgeons”. Another shows supposed Roma children with cigarettes. Both were generated with AI.

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