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SpecialWithout effective government action, future bleak for Czech Roma minority
The Romanies, or Roma, are the Czech Republic’s biggest minority. The
relations between Roma and the majority population have long been troubled
but recently took a turn for the worse. The community is outraged by the
rise in extremist and neo-Nazi movements. For the first time ever, Romany
NGOs are organizing a nationwide protest against extremism that will take
place on Sunday.
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Current AffairsFormer KKK leader arrested, ordered to leave Czech Republic
A visit to the Czech Republic by David Duke - former leader of the white
supremacist organisation the Ku Klux Klan – set off alarm bells last
Friday among human rights organisations. Mr Duke had been set to give a
number of lectures at undisclosed locations in the country at the behest of
right-wing extremists. But in the end, he didn’t stay on Czech soil for
long. On Friday, shortly after his arrival he was arrested, questioned by
the police, and then ordered to leave the country.
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Current AffairsRomanies call for nation-wide rallies to condemn racist attacks on their community
The Czech Republic’s Romany community is outraged by the recent arson
attack on one of its members which left a two-year-old girl fighting for
her life and rendered eight people homeless overnight. Several Romany
organizations have called on the authorities to stand up to growing
extremism in the country, and are planning a nationwide protest to step up
public opposition to the neo-Nazi movement.
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Current AffairsWill the government’s proposals to stamp out extremism work?
In light of this weekend’s march in Ústí nad Labem, and Saturday's
violent attack on a Roma family in Vítkov, the government has pledged to
do more to stamp out extremism in the Czech Republic. On Monday, outgoing
Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek said that the government would employ two
key strategies in the fight against extremism: prevention and repression.
Earlier today, I spoke to lawyer and expert on extremism Klára Kalibová
to ask her whether she thought this would work. Firstly, I asked whether
Czech courts should play a more active role in banning extremist rallies:
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Current AffairsÚstí shop windows boarded up for first time since 1938 as neo-Nazis plan march
The northern city of Ústí nad Labem is bracing itself for a march by
neo-Nazis on Saturday that has the potential to end in violence. The march
is going ahead after the city council exhausted all legal avenues to stop
it, and a large police presence is being deployed to prevent trouble from
getting out of hand.
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Current AffairsTop court rejects government’s petition to ban extremist Workers’ Party
The Supreme Administrative Court on Wednesday rejected a petition by the
Czech government to ban the far-right Workers’ Party. The court said the
cabinet had not provided sufficient evidence that the small extremist group
- which first made headlines last year when its supporters staged a march
on a Romany ghetto - posed a real threat to democracy. The verdict was
applauded by the party, but probably by few others. The Czech government
will now have to bring more proof to support its position, or come up with
different ways of dealing with right-wing extremism.
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