Czech senior citizen threatens arson against Romani neighbors for playing loud music

A 66-year-old man from Nýrsko, Czech Republic took the law into his own hands recently when it came to Romani people living in his neighborhood whom he alleges have been very noisy for several years and are unwilling to change. He went so far as to threaten to set the pergola in their yard on fire if they didn't turn down their music.

The man was arrested shortly thereafter and ended up behind bars. "The man entered the grounds of the apartment complex holding a canister of gas and threatened three people who were sitting under the pergola listening to music at high volume. Those present were concerned he would really make good on his threat and so they called the police," Dagmar Brožová, a police spokesperson, told the Czech regional daily Deník.

Brožová added that officers had arrested the man and given him a breath alcohol test that found his blood alcohol level was 1.24 per mille. "I ran out of patience, suddenly I just exploded. There have been problems with them for about five years already, there's noise there even at night. The situation is unbearable. Last week they were at it for three days and I shouted at them to stop. Sometimes they listen and turn the music down, other times they turn it up even louder on purpose... They got their hands on some boards from the pergola and I had that canister I was carrying, so I opened it and said something to them. I wasn't serious about it, though," the arrested man told the press.

The senior citizen admitted that he has never reported the Romani neighbors' noisy behavior to the police. Local patrols confirmed that they were never called to the scene for that reason this year.

"Last Thursday I went to the police station to report it, but nobody was there," the pensioner alleged. Another neighbor confirmed to the press that the Romani residents of the building in question are noisy.

"Sometimes they can actually be heard very clearly. What's more, they are sometimes abusive. My former girlfriend and I rode past them on our bikes and they started after her and yelled to me that I should loan her to them for a minute. Every since then we've been afraid to walk past the building because they chased us," the young man said.

The Romani residents told the Czech regional daily Deník that while they sometimes hold parties involving music, they do not believe the volume has been excessive. "Officers have begun the legal steps necessary to a criminal proceedings on suspicion of commission of the crime of trespassing and disorderly conduct and are continuing to investigate the case," the police spokesperson said.