Commentary: Approach of most Czech media and politicians to Lety commemoration this year was dishonorable

The camp at Lety by Písek was created on the site what had been a disciplinary labor camp, originally intended to receive a cheap labor force to help clear away the surrounding forest, which had been downed in a storm and pushed the aristocratic family who owned it into bankruptcy. After that it became a “collection” camp, purely for Romani people, leading straight to Auschwitz.

The camp was capable of receiving up to 600 prisoners, but even that number was soon exceeded. During the course of August 1942, more than 1 100 children, men, and women were interned there. The custodians of the camp were recruited from the ranks of the police of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Their behavior toward the prisoners was very rough and unscrupulous. Some exceptional guards did not entirely lose their humanity, but most of them did not last long, as their own colleagues turned them in for showing unnecessary love to the prisoners. As of 1940, the commander of the camp was Josef Janovský, who became infamous for his lack of feeling. There were several dozen police on the staff keeping watch.

The prisoners worked for local businesspeople at their work sites, who ordered this cheap work force from the camp commander. The money for their labor was never paid to them, but was meant to serve to cover the costs of the camp’s operation.

On 13 May 2012, yet another annual commemoration took place near the territory on which the camp was located, at the monument erected on that same day in 1995. Back then it was unveiled by Czech President Václav Havel. It was the first time since the end of WWII that Czech political elites recognized their “own” portion of the blame for the liquidation of the Romani population of Bohemia.

When we admit our mistakes and do our best to correct them, there is nothing to be ashamed of. The past, once and for all, took the thwarted lives of these people, and the guilty are being condemned by God’s just punishment. That idea comforts me, but it does not fill my heart. The wound remains open.

To what degree have Czech politicians recognized that what happened here was not in accordance with democratic principles and humanity? How can it be that on this site, where 241 children were murdered who were younger than 14, 30 men were murdered, 48 women were murdered, three teenaged boys and four teenaged girls were murdered – a pig farm is standing today? How do politicians perceive the fact today that those people died solely because their skin color was different?

Yes, I understand. They are ashamed that their predecessors participated in the murder of Romani people. This is not Lidice, where politicians like to go show their faces. The inhabitants of that village were murdered by the Nazis. Even if Czechs were in the background, telling the Nazis which direction to go, they didn’t pull the trigger there, as they did in the case of the Romani people. That’s why politicians can go to Lidice. They can demonstrate to today’s Germans how deeply that incident affect them!

In contrast, Germany recognizes its share of the blame for the murder of thousands of Czech Romani people. The German Ambassador regularly attends the commemorative ceremony at Lety. This year he sent a representative, Mr Stephan Schmid. The ceremony was also attended by the highest representatives of some states. On behalf of Great Britatin, we had Ambassador Sian MacLeod. We had Norman Eisen, Ambassador of the USA and a close colleague of US President Barack Obama. We had Ambassador Pierre Lévy of France and Ambassador Rolf Ericsson of Sweden.

Do the representatives of these other countries somehow understand, better than the Czechs, that the Romani people are at home here? Do they understand that Czech society did wrong by Romani people at Lety by Písek, do they have compassion for the bereaved, do they simply understand that we commemorate the evils of history so that they will never be repeated?

Part of Czech society is evidently proud of itself for what it did to Romani people here. In the end, the recent events in Šluknov district testify to that. I understand why it would not be appropriate for [Czech Foreign Minister] Prince Schwarzenberg to meet with his diplomatic counterparts at Lety by Písek. He was able to watch what happened there during the war from the comfort of Orlík Castle. [Czech Prime Minister] Mr Nečas also wasn’t anxious to meet the ambassadors here. What about our head of state, who so loves visiting other countries? He evidently has collected enough souvenirs and has other worries. Some murdered “non-Czech” children don’t deserve a statement of his good will.

He evidently is also not trying to ameliorate the tense situation in this country. Why should he? After all, the current situation suits him, judging from the commentaries of his advisers. Maybe there are more surprises in store for us regarding the intentions of some of our top politicians with respect to the industrial pig farm, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to turn up here.

This year, no murders were committed at Lety by Písek. There wasn’t even a false report of a murder. Evidently that is why TV Nova and TV Prima Family didn’t consider it dignified to send reporters to Lety this year. If they had, they would certainly have learned how tense the situation is in this republic and how Romani people perceive it. Those television stations have no need to broadcast balanced, objective news reports. Such reports are not commercial enough. Those stations have no need to straighten out relations in society. On the contrary. The more cold-blooded they are, the more money they make – at least, that’s what they think.

The more cold-blooded they are, the more urgently I must appeal to my fellow Romani citizens: Don’t let the past repeat itself. We must never be interned again into camps like the one at Lety, or Hodonín by Kunštát and all the rest. There is nothing more I can do that to call to you all: Roma aven Jekhetane! (Romani people, let’s come together!)

Video footage of the speeches given at this year’s commemoration ceremony (in Czech only) can be seen at the following links:

Ambassadors’ speeches http://www.romea.cz/romeatv/index.php?id=detail&source=t&vid=MlmIwOR8Dt0&detail=MlmIwOR8Dt0

Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner Monika Šimůnková http://www.romea.cz/romeatv/index.php?id=detail&source=t&vid=Cli3Ae6UZkI&detail=Cli3Ae6UZkI

Czech Senator Tomáš Töpfer http://www.romea.cz/romeatv/index.php?id=detail&source=t&vid=gjMob_2vQdg&detail=gjMob_2vQdg

Ondřej Liška (Green Party) http://www.romea.cz/romeatv/index.php?id=detail&source=t&vid=Cj7Sx7-sEaE&detail=Cj7Sx7-sEaE

Michaela Marksová-Tominová (Czech Social Democrats) http://www.romea.cz/romeatv/index.php?id=detail&source=t&vid=dsAQwkuIhiE&detail=dsAQwkuIhiE

Miroslav Kováč http://www.romea.cz/romeatv/index.php?id=detail&source=t&vid=imkMI2q7xoo&detail=imkMI2q7xoo

Čeněk Růžička (VPORH) http://www.romea.cz/romeatv/index.php?id=detail&source=t&vid=VcFwpCEvI1M&detail=VcFwpCEvI1M

Štefan Tišer (Equal Opportunities Party) http://www.romea.cz/romeatv/index.php?id=detail&source=t&vid=o4-Iybn2YkM&detail=o4-Iybn2YkM