Archive: Society | Minorities Minorities
Commemoration of Romany Holocaust victims sparks controversy
Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas on Monday attended a commemorative
ceremony for the victims of the Romany Holocaust. At the site of a former
concentration camp in Lety, Mr Nečas admitted the Czech responsibility for
the murder of over 5,000 Romanies during the war. But the official event
sparked controversy among the Romany community which says the government
should first make sure the victims were giving a dignified memorial. More
Roma request government representative
Representatives of a new Roma civic association had their first audience
with Prime Minister Petr Nečas on Monday. As the Roma community’s
problems seem to be worsening the group is seeking other support from that
government than investment, and have petitioned the prime minister for a
Roma cabinet position with real authority to effect change. More
Ombudsman says discrimination of Romany children in Czech education system persists
The Czech government has in the past few years repeatedly been criticized
by international bodies for discrimination of Romany children in the Czech
education system. Now the Ombudsman’s office has confirmed what the
European Commission and the European Court of Human Rights have said all
along – that the much criticized practice of sending Romany children to
schools for children with learning, mental or physical disabilities
persists on a broad scale. More
Students in survey perceive Roma to be biggest ‘problem’
A study conducted by the non-governmental organisation People in Need,
together with Millward Brown, gauging how Czech secondary school students
view Czech society and the world around them, has produced some worrying
results. Along with the ‘usual’ dissatisfaction over issues such as
poor governance (highlighted in a previous study in 2009) the majority of
1,100 students queried now perceived the number one issue as problems with
the Roma minority – citing an alleged unwillingness on their part to
work, improve in their studies and so on. More
Roma attack on teen, which brought thousands into the streets, never happened
Police in the South Moravian town of Břeclav have called off an
investigation into three Roma who allegedly beat up a 15-year-old boy, in
an incident that raised racial tensions around the country. The boy has
confessed that the attack never took place, he injured himself in a fall,
and the mass demonstrations that followed now look like just another sign
of widespread prejudice against the Roma minority. More
The black experience in the Czech Republic
In the past 20 years, the number of foreigners living in the Czech Republic
has increased dramatically as a consequence of the opening of the Iron
Curtain. Still, the country is far from being as diverse as most other
European nations, for example France or Germany, and the vast majority of
the Czech population remains Caucasian. During communism, the few black
people who lived here stuck out like a sore thumb. Nowadays, their number
has of course increased, but the size of the black community is still quite
small. More
Concert, screening at Prague’s Lucerna to mark day against racism
March 21st is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination and to mark the occasion organisers from Opona, a non-profit
NGO, have helped put together an exhibition, screening and concert to take
place on Wednesday afternoon and evening at Prague’s Lucerna. Several
notable Czech artists, including Ester Kočičková Xindl X, and the Tap
Tap are taking part. More
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
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