Human rights minister proposes fund to pay for removal of pig farm from concentration camp site

Czech Minorities and Human Rights Minister Michael Kocáb wants to create a foundation to buy out a pig farm located on the site of a former Nazi concentration camp where hundreds of Czech Romanies died during WWII. Romany rights groups have long sought the removal of the large-scale pig farm from the site, and the Czech government has come under repeated criticism from the European Parliament for failing to move the facility elsewhere. Previous governments pledged to abolish the pig farm but said they did not have the funds to do so. An estimated 600-700 million crowns (30-35 million USD) is required to relocate the farm and transform Lety into a memorial of the Romany Holocaust. Speaking at a commemorative service at the site on Wednesday, Human Rights Minister Michael Kocáb said he would ask Czech firms such as CEZ to contribute to a fund which would pay for the pig farm’s removal.

Author: Rosie Johnston