Category Archives: Czech Republic

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.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

School Segregation in Czechia

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In the Czech Republic, there are still 130 segregated schools where Roma make up at least a third of the students. Veronika Hlaváčová’s documentary brings the experiences of Roma whose children ended up in such classes and points to the vast differences in the quality of education.

“Normally, the teacher leaves us there and goes to the office because she has her child there. Completely disinterested,” describes Zdeněk in the documentary. He attends the eighth grade along with 14 other Roma. “We come to school, the teacher comes, we have mathematics and he tells us, for example, to write something down and we do whatever we want for the rest of the lesson,” he adds.

 

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Children’s Book

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The illustrated book Jekh, duj, trin! [One, two, three!] introduces children to the everyday life and traditions of an ordinary Roma family and prepares them to enter school.

Well, with a few stereotypes…

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

NGOs and Roma

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The Roma Council of the City of Brno (RRB) expressed serious concern over the selection of Martin Máša as the new director of the IQ Roma service organization. According to the council, a long-term problem is that Roma themselves are not included in leadership positions in organizations that focus on helping Roma.

Nothing new, unfortunately…

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Romani Music

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On August 22, an energetic Roma Bašavel was held as part of the 21st International Festival of New Circus and Theatewr Letní Letná. The main stars of the evening were DJ GADJO CZ, the Roma band Trio Romano and the young dance star Lily Sarah Ščuková.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Politics

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On Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) visited the infamous Mojžíř housing estate in Ústí, where a large group of Roma live and where unemployment lies at around 80%. He heard complaints from some of the old settlers about the mess, the smell and the swearing. The visit was planned to start the campaign for the autumn regional elections.

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Roma Memory Map

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A delegation of Roma human rights defenders from five countries in North and South America visited Poland and the Czech Republic from August 1 to 11. The main reason for her arrival was the 80th anniversary of the extermination of the so-called “gypsy camp” in Auschwitz-Birkenau. During its trip, the delegation also presented the Roma Memory Map in America project, which shows places associated with Roma life in North and South America. So far, 29 places are described on the map, and their number will continue to expand.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Artificial Intelligence

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The Czech SPD movement, qualified as neo-fascist by some news agencies, has been using artificial intelligence again to produce images which it then used in its political campaign. After the “imported surgeon”, an African migrant with a knife, this time it shows Roma children with cigarettes. The photo’s caption says: “They say let us go to school, but ours are on the hook”. The non-profit organization Romeo, which has already sent a criminal complaint, has already spoken out against the image.

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