CSSD to prepare solution to situation of Czech Romanies

The opposition Czech Social Democrats (CSSD) will prepare a solution to the situation of Romanies in Litvinov, north Bohemia, as well as other locations in the country, CSSD leader Jiri Paroubek told journalists today.

He said politicians of the parties in parliament should agree on a solution.

Paroubek said he believes the current attitude to the bad situation of Czech Romanies that put an emphasis on education proved to be insufficient and cannot be successful.

He said Romany organisations should more actively participate in dealing with the problem because Romanies start talking about civic disobedience.

Paroubek added that the current situation reminded him of the riots of Afro-Americans in the United States in 1968.

On November 17, hundreds of policemen clashed with far-right radicals during their march to Litvinov’s Janov housing estate mostly populated by Romanies.

Real estate agencies moved problematic tenants from many places to Janov in the past few years. Janov’s original inhabitants have been complaining about their new neighbours for a long time and many of them support the far-right extremists. The local Romanies are prepared to defend themselves.

The Czech government today asked a court to outlaw the far-right Workers’ Party (DS) that organised the march through Litvinov.

"Such excesses that happened in Litvinov must be severely punished," Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek (Civic Democrats, ODS) said today.

Topolanek said a general solution to the Romany problem needs to be discussed.