Czech Police coloring book shows a Romani man as a dangerous pedophile

When trying to prevent crime, it is definitely good to think of all possible
variations of dangerous situations, especially where children are concerned.
However, when a
coloring book intended for children in nursery school and the lower grades of
primary school features a figure whose face is prominently reminiscent of a
representative of the Romani minority, and when such a figure plays only one
role – evidently that of a dangerous pedophile – that really does call for some
reflection.

Czech daily Lidové noviny (LN) reports that dark skin and curly black hair are
synonymous with danger in “The Cop’s Coloring Book” (Poldový omalovánky), which
is being distributed to children during crime prevention events. The character
with Romani features is presented exclusively in a negative role in the coloring
book.

The police, who are supposed to take action against stereotypes, primarily
racial ones, are instead disseminating and supporting these dangerous
prejudices. Lída, a resident of Prague, noticed that her daughter received a
copy of the coloring book at her nursery school.

“When she told me she got it from a police officer, I was unpleasantly
surprised,” the girl’s mother told LN. Children have been receiving the coloring
books for several years, but activists and some human rights organizations are
now harshly criticizing them.

“It is alarming that an institution whose preventative work is supposed to
include fighting against prejudice and stereotypes is reinforcing them instead.
To draw a guy harassing a child in such a way that he prominently resembles a
Romani man, and to then target such edification at children during today’s tense
times is terribly irresponsible,” said Jarmila Balážová of the ROMEA association.

Martin Šimáček, director of the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion,
has also spoken out against the choice of such a one-sided context for a Roma
character in the coloring book. Šimáček believes the book unnecessarily
reinforces stereotypes about both Arab terrorism and Romani criminality.

“It doesn’t make the least bit of sense, it just teaches children to think with
prejudices, reflexively,” the director told LN. However, Andrea Zoulová,
currently the director of the Preventive Information Division of the Prague
Police Directorate, whose people came up with the outreach project several years
ago, has given an interesting defense of the coloring book.

“I see a multi-cultural environment in that image – after all, that man could be
Cuban,” Zoulová explains. She also defends the nursery-school materials by
saying another criminal in the coloring book is depicted with white skin. 

The argument is poorly grounded. Adult white figures appear in the coloring book
in essentially positive roles, while the lone representative of the Romani
minority represents “the force of evil”.

Children are therefore being presented with a biased, incomplete, negative image
of “those with dark skin.” However, LN reports that officer Jan Holub, the
author and illustrator of the coloring book, doesn’t see anything wrong with it.

“The drawings reflect the actual situation on the streets. Perpetrators like
this are the reality. If dark-skinned people never committed crime, I wouldn’t
draw it that way,” he said.

On the basis of the negative response to the current design of the coloring
book, Zoulová and her collective admit that after discussing the issue, they are
now willing to redesign it. Some teachers have also objected that Holub should
also portray a woman as a criminal too.

“It could be recommended to him that he feature a trio, white man – swarthy man
– woman, in the role of police officers,” says Klára Kalibová of the legal
organization In IUSTITIA. She also points out that the character of “Cop”
(Polda) in the coloring book is white-skinned in all situations. 

Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Minister Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social
Democratic Party – ČSSD) would also be in favor of changing the characters
depicted. “Generally speaking, nothing undertaken by public officials should be
based on racial (ethnic) stereotypes,” he said.