Czech Republic: Interview with Romani resident of town that has banned sitting outdoors

The town of Duchcov has adopted an ordinance banning people from sitting outdoors in certain localities. The measure is supposed to protect greenery and public order and improve the town’s appearance.

Critics claim the ordinance primarily targets Roma and that the town is in its second year of applying a "zero tolerance" policy against them. What’s more, as a result of last year’s local elections, the town hall is now governed by a coalition that includes the ultra-right DSSS party.

One of the DSSS town councilors is Jindřich Svoboda, who has convened anti-Romani demonstrations in Duchcov. How are Romani locals responding to these developments?

"They are not responding, they are afraid," says Štefan Horvát, who works at a drop-in club run by the Květina civic association. News server Romea.cz has interviewed him on this and other issues.

Q:  How do Romani people in Duchcov view the situation in town – first there was "zero tolerance", then the DSSS was elected to the local council, and now there is this new ordinance?

A:  It sounds horrible, but there are essentially two reactions:  Either people don’t understand what is going on, or they are afraid. They are governed by either apathy or fear. The vast majority of Romani people in Duchcov live in the so-called "South Town", which is dominated by a certain Mr Spurný, who owns the apartment buildings the Romani people live in. The Roma cannot afford to make any mistakes, they don ‘t want to have problems, they don’t even want to go out on the streets.

Q:  Why aren’t you afraid?

A:  Maybe I’m stupid, but you know, what can happen to me? Is someone going to send some gorillas after me? If something is going to happen to me, it will, that’s just fate. At the very least someone has to speak out against these idiots in Duchcov and elsewhere.

Q:  The new ordinance – does it have any basis in reality? Are Romani people causing a big mess in town, are they noisy, do they disturb others?

A:  I think this is rather a display of power – the town is showing that it can afford to forbid us from sitting on the curbside or on a wall, that it can dictate such terms. It has no basis in reality because Romani people don’t even gather here much, they don’t form big crowds in the streets – there are CCTV cameras all over South Town, no one wants to have any problems. When I head home from work at around 7:30 PM, no one is out on the streets.

Q:  That sounds like an image from a horror film – empty streets, cameras everywhere, fear, apathetic people hiding in their homes from the enemy powers. Is it really that harsh?

A:  It is. Seriously, it’s a bit frightening. You don’t even want to walk down the street, I have frequently experienced people shouting at me because I am Romani. The self-confidence of the "decent majority" has risen… Recently there was a dance here, my daughter was looking forward to it, she got all dressed up… There were two big skinhead bodyguards posted at the entrance and they wouldn’t let her in. Period.

Q:  Did you complain?

A:  Where, to whom? No one is interested in Romani people.

Q:  Wait, you’re overdoing it a bit, aren’t you? Recently the Government adopted important programs aiming to aid Romani people and just yesterday a Government delegation was an at event focused on Romani integration within the framework of the European Union.

A:  All of that is just on paper. In reality, nothing is changing.

Q:  What should happen for something to actually change? How can that change be kick-started?

A:  I am concerned that nothing will happen until there is some neo-Nazi action, some pogrom. That will kick-start something, but afterward things will be even worse.