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Czech Police refute yet another false anti-Roma report spread by Duchcov DSSS cell

05 September 2013
3 minute read

The Duchcov cell of the right-wing extremist Workers’ Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti – DSSS), which is led by convicted con artist Jindřich Svoboda, is continuing to do its best to spark anti-Romani sentiment there. Right-wing extremists have begun to spread untrue information about a Romani man allegedly breaking into a woman’s apartment and attempting to rape her.

According to the untrue report, the police supposedly released the alleged perpetrator after interrogating him for an hour. On 2 September, police issued the statement that the information being spread through social networking sites is untrue.

The false information was posted to the Facebook page of the DSSS local cell in Duchcov (MO DSSS) and spread online. "Ground-floor apartment entered through window. Sleeping woman groped in intimate parts of her body. Gypsy detained, but released after about an hour of interrogation. POLICE OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC don’t see this as attempted rape. MO DSSS had promised not to hold another march or protest unless more incidents were perpetrated by local gypsies. Unfortunately, this incident happened today, and so the MO DSSS is considering further steps to aid the citizens who have been harmed," the right-wing extremists posted to the web.

"That information is distorted and not objective. It creates the impression that police are behaving in contravention of the applicable laws, and it might also contribute to an unnecessary escalation of tensions in town. In order to prevent the spread of further disinformation, we are now publicizing the details of this case. Last Friday we received a report that a perpetrator, who has yet to be identified, broke into an apartment in the early morning hours through an open window. The owner of the apartment was asleep there. After she woke up and interrupted the perpetrator, he fled the scene," police press spokesperson Daniel Vítek said.

Immediately after receiving the report, both municipal and state police officers began cooperating in a search for the suspect. "In connection with our investigation of this case we interrogated a man who has been completely untruthfully labeled the ‘perpetrator’ in the Facebook report. We interrogated this person as a witness only. At the time the crime was committed, he can prove he was somewhere else entirely. Moreover, he does not fit the description of the perpetrator given by the woman in her statement. There is no doubt that he did not perpetrate this crime. That is why he was able to leave the police station after being deposed," Vítek said.

Police have begun criminal proceedings in this matter for the offense of trespassing, for which the perpetrator, should he eventually be apprehended, will face up to two years in prison. They found several clues at the scene which they are currently evaluating.

"The legal qualification of this crime fully corresponds to the information provided by the victim, and according to the findings we have made so far and to eyewitness testimony, the perpetrator did not commit any other crime for which a proceeding should be initiated," said Vítek. He added that he believes the police officers have proceeded completely impartially, professionally, and in accordance with applicable legislation in their investigation of this case.

"We decidedly reject the claim that we released the perpetrator of a crime. The person released was merely a witness. We are continuing to intensively search for the perpetrator and should he be apprehended, we will inform the public of that through the website of the Police of the Czech Republic," Vítek said.

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