News server Romea.cz. Everything about Roma in one place

News server Romea.cz. Everything about Roma in one place

Czech Republic: Town councilors ban DSSS demonstration

22 October 2012
3 minute read

Yesterday the town hall of Vimperk (Prachatice district) banned an upcoming gathering by the Workers’ Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti – DSSS), citing concern for public safety. The town leadership said it believes the party’s rally will most probably lead to inciting hatred and intolerance against a national minority. The Czech Press Agency reports that Mayor Bohumil Petrášek (Choice for the Town – VPM) said the event was scheduled for this Saturday between 11:00 and 15:00.

The DSSS filed a lawsuit against the decision today with the Regional Court. The court should rule within three days on whether the assembly can take place.

One of the gathering’s stated objectives is to familiarize people with the security situation in the town. For many weeks, an anti-Roma discussion on that topic has been taking place on a Facebook page entitled “Hnutí za Vimperk bez nepřizpůsobivých Romů” (Movement for a Vimperk without Inadaptable Roma). According to police, however, crime rates in the town are some of the lowest in South Bohemia.

The town hall says the discussion forum was launched on Facebook on 9 October. The aim of the movement, which is not officially registered, is to draw attention to problems with members of the Romani minority in Vimperk. Anti-Roma sentiment is obvious from the discussion as a whole, as is the effort to incite hatred and intolerance against a national minority. According to the postings, one possible solution to the problem is to organize a march. Calls for other solutions were then posted to the forum, including sending right-wing extremists to Vimperk to “assist”, according to the town hall’s decision to ban the assembly.

The Vimperk town council says that at the start of this month, the DSSS put up posters around town depicting an armed man, the party’s logo, and the slogan “Nebojuj sám, bojuj s námi” (“Don’t fight alone, fight with us”). According to the discussion page on Facebook, the “Movement for a Vimperk without Inadaptable Roma” has about 400 sympathizers. DSSS organizers estimated that as many as 300 people would attend Saturday’s rally.

The town hall’s decision points out that Christmas markets and the lighting of the town’s Christmas tree will take place in Vimperk on Saturday. The traffic situation will also be complicated due to road repairs in the town center.

“The DSSS will file a lawsuit in Regional Court today against this ban on their assembly. The court should decide within three days, which means by Friday, as to whether the gathering can take place,” said Vlastimil Vach, chair of the party’s South Bohemian organization.

Mayor Petrášek says the town leadership has, on the basis of its own monitoring, enhanced municipal police patrols in places where “inadaptable” residents live, intensified its monitoring of gaming rooms over suspicions of welfare abuse, and intensified its monitoring of the living conditions of children in socially excluded families. The mayor reported that there are officially five “indaptable” residents living in the town and that approximately 15 more people have recently moved in with them. Next year the town is planning to enhance its CCTV system in public spaces. The mayor also said he has discussed the drug situation in the town with police and regional authority leadership and asked anti-drug headquarters for assistance.

The entire text of the town’s decision can be read here (Czech only): http://www.vimperk.cz/files/3934-rozhodnuti-o-zakazu-shromazdeni-delnicke-strany-socialni-spravedlnosti.pdf

Help us share the news about Romas
Trending now icon