Czech Republic: Yet another false report of assault, media immediately "ethnicized" incident

Police have clarified the case of a recent attack allegedly committed by four youths against a 28-year-old man in the Czech town of Nový Bor. The incident, which was alleged to have occurred last Thursday evening, never actually happened, but was invented by the “victim”.

Czech media outlets reporting on the purported incident reminded listeners, readers and viewers that two similar attacks against young people had occurred in the town last month, one of which police say was racially motivated. Media reporting immediately introduced an ethnic dimension to reports on this most recent incident even though police never released any reports or testimony concerning the ethnicity of the alleged assailants.

The supposed “victim” was hospitalized after the incident. Ivana Baláková, spokesperson for the Česká Lípa Police, said the man confessed the next day to having deceived investigators and said he had actually caused himself the injuries for which he sought treatment.

The fictional assault was reported by a female acquaintance of the injured man. She said the incident took place after 22:00 in front of the Shark Bar on Generál Svoboda street in the Arnultovice quarter of Nový Bor. The man told police that some youths had asked him for cigarettes. When he refused them, he allegedly was struck on the head from behind and fell to the ground. One of the assailants then allegedly cut him on the face.

Police officers also interrogated a purported witness to the incident, but his testimony differed from the “victim’s” claims, and the injured man eventually confirmed that the incident never took place. “He confessed to police, who confronted him with the evidence they had gathered. Pressured by them, he confessed to having made up the entire incident,” Baláková confirmed.