Czech Republic: Several Romani minors hospitalized after adults attack them, shouting racist abuse

In Lipník nad Bečvou, Czech Republic a brutal assault was committed against three Romani children by an adult man and woman. The man is said to have punched the children in the chest and face, and eyewitnesses say he even kicked one child in the chest.

A 14-year-old boy has been hospitalized with a bruised back and a concussion, while a girl has been hospitalized with an injured thoracic cavity and another 12-year-old girl has been hospitalized with a bruised spine and dislocated nose. The children's parents reported the attack yesterday to police.

News server Romea.cz is waiting for the Police of the Czech Republic to respond to our requests for comment. The man and woman are said to have assaulted the children yesterday evening when they were playing in the park of the local chateau.

There were roughly five other minors at the scene, most of whom managed to escape before being attacked themselves. "The woman assaulted them too. She slapped my daughter. I have already been to the police because what happened is horrible. Other children were beaten much more. One of the girls couldn't even breathe after that guy struck her in the chest. The police should have video footage from the CCTV cameras in the park," Martina Marejková, the mother of one of the attacked girls, told news server Romea.cz.

According to eyewitnesses, the man is said to have grabbed one of the girls by her hair and shouted "You black whore!" at her. When she asked him to leave her alone, he punched her in the face.

"My son is in the hospital and is remaining there for observation. He will have to remain at home for treatment afterward. The youngest child to witness the assault was seven years old. We are horrified by this. We must do something so that this never repeated again," the mother of one of the attacked children told Romea.cz.

Klára Bartošová, a relative of the assaulted boy, told news server Romea.cz that the man had attacked the children because, several days ago, his 16-year-old daughter had an argument with a Romani child. "Those were absolutely different children, though. He just came up and began beating any Romani child he could get his hands on," she said.

"The situation is not good, the children's parents are horrified by what has happened. They are afraid for their children, because nobody can recall anything like this ever happening here. They immediately contacted the police, but they are afraid what that will lead to and whether the police will be able to thoroughly investigate. Emotions are already running very high because of this," Jaroslav Ferenc, a local resident told Romea.cz Jaroslav Ferenc.