Archive: Society | Minorities Minorities
Study warns of possible new attacks against Roma as neo-Nazi movement gains traction
A new study commissioned by the Interior Ministry has suggested that the
neo-Nazi movement in the Czech Republic (estimated as 4,000 strong with 400
hardcore members) is successfully pushing an agenda of hatred and racism in
troubled parts of the country. As it stands, the last decade or so saw a
number of arson attacks against ethnic Roma families including a
highly-publicised case where a toddler barely survived and was left with
lifelong disabilities. According to the latest report, unless more
comprehensive measures are taken soon, racially-motivated attacks spurred
by the neo-Nazi movement, may increase. More
Hana Kulhánková – the director of the One World International Human Rights Film Festival
Film has played an important role in Hana Kulhanková’s life ever since
she was a teenager. Later, she studied film and worked at the Mezipatra
Queer Film Festival, which showcases gay and lesbian filmmakers. Now, Hana
Kulhánková is the director of one of Prague’s most colorful and
interesting film festivals, One World, which focuses on human rights
documentaries. Ahead of the start of this year’s edition, I spoke to her
about the festival program, human rights and what initially piqued her
interest in film. More
Varnsdorf, a north Bohemian town in the path of Buddha
A town surrounded by deep pine forests, dotted with old timbered
German-style villas and occasional Communist-era prefab houses, a town
boasting many parks, a river, two churches – and the country’s first
Buddhist temple. This is Varnsdorf, a town of 16,000 in the northernmost
part of the Czech Republic. More
Police crack down on women’s branch of Czech neo-Nazi movement
The Czech police have cracked down on a group called Resistance Women
Unity, a women´s branch of the Czech neo-Nazi movement National
Resistance. Fifteen women were arrested and charged with promoting and
supporting a movement aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms. I
spoke to Miroslav Mareš of Masaryk University in Brno, one of the Czech
Republic’s leading experts on far-right extremism, to find out more about
the role of women in neo-Nazi groups in the present day Czech Republic. More
Roma kids from special schools put Czech education system to shame in Great Britain
Thousands of teachers around the country are up in arms. They are unhappy
about the government’s plans to gradually phase out special schools –
or schools for children with a mental or physical handicap – and
integrate as many of these children as possible into the education
mainstream. More
Icy temperatures pose threat to Prague homeless, Czech capital opens tent shelter
With temperatures in Prague expected to drop as low as minus 20 degrees in
the coming days, the Czech capital’s homeless are at high risk. Due to
the harsh weather, homeless shelters are already close to operating at full
capacity. To help battle deaths from exposure city hall officials have
arranged for a large heated tent to be put up for those with no roof over
their heads. More
Prosecutors rule out murder in north Bohemian shooting
Prosecutors investigating a New Year’s Day shooting in the north Bohemian
town of Tanvald, which left a Romany man dead and injured another, have
ruled out murder or any other premeditated crime. The investigators on
Friday said the 63-year-old shooter was facing an intense assault by two
Romany men in a conflict that had no racial or material motives. More
Extremist lawyer claims judicial expert biased because of Jewish background
Michal Mazel, a highly-respected judicial expert on extremism in the Czech
Republic (whose testimony was crucial in such cases as the Vítkov arson
attack and the dissolution of the rightwing Workers’ Party), has resigned
after an objection was filed against his assessment in a current case.
Lawyer Petr Kočí filed the objection on behalf of his client, a member of
the extremist Workers’ Party for Social Justice, charged with inciting
ethnic hatred, that Mr Mazel is biased because of his Jewish background.
For the judicial expert the objection was the last straw; the move also
shocked others, fuelling calls for the lawyer to be disbarred. More
Vsetín faces Roma exodus
In late 2006, Jiří Čunek, then mayor of the eastern town of Vsetín and
later Christian Democrat chairman, made a controversial decision to move
several hundred Romany rent-defaulters out of a dilapidated block of flats
in the town centre and relocate them in a complex of portacabins on the
outskirts of Vsetín. Now, five years on, most of them are choosing to move
even further – as far as the United Kingdom. More
Using classical music to help children out of poverty
In this special programme, David Vaughan looks at a unique project to
encourage children with musical talent who come from some of the poorest
families in the Czech Republic. The project enables primary school children
to learn to play with some of the country’s foremost classical musicians.
Its success is a reminder of the power of music to cross boundaries of
language, class and culture. More
+1
+10
