Czech town files criminal report over rumors that thousands of Roma are moving in
The town of Kladno has filed a report of criminal activity by an unidentified perpetrator over the alleged dissemination of rumors that Romani people will be moving into several neighborhoods there. The town leadership is of the opinion that someone is intentionally spreading untrue information about the planned move of thousands of so-called "inadaptables" to the town.
Mayor of Kladno Dan Jiránek (Civic Democratic Party – ODS) told the Czech News Agency of the town’s decision at a press conference yesterday. "Alarming legends and rumors have always fascinated people. ‘A black ambulance is driving around town!’ Have you heard that one? ‘They say that Kladno…’ However, everything has its limits. The amount of strange questions being asked of the Kladno town hall during the past few days has begun to border on hysteria," the mayor has written on the town’s official website.
Similar rumors have spread through the town several times before, but this time their extent is significantly larger. Several enquiries about the rumors are being sent to the municipal authorities daily.
The questions concern specific neighborhoods and in some cases even specific buildings. "It seems that someone is intentionally spreading rumors about the movement of dozens or thousands of inadaptables to Kladno. We have therefore decided to file a criminal report against an unidentified perpetrator," said the mayor.
Jiránek believes the rumors might be disseminated to influence the upcoming municipal elections or as an effort to reduce the value of real estate in a given locality. The rumors are spreading in several versions.
The mayor says one version is that Romani residents of a housing estate in Chomutov are planning to move to the Rozdělova neighborhood of Kladno. Another rumor is going around that thousands of Romani residents will be moving into buildings along a pedestrian zone and that their accommodation will be paid for by EU subsidies.
Jiránek said another motivation for spreading the rumors could be to harm EU interests. The town has issued an official statement on the speculations stating that the two apartment buildings now under construction in Rozdělova include apartments of various sizes and do not, therefore, meet the parameters for residential hotels.
"What the purpose of these buildings will be is fully in the competency of their owner, the private investor who is building them on private land. The Kladno town council previously adopted a resolution stating it would do everything permitted by law to prevent the creation of more residential hotels in this town," reads the official statement on the town’s website.
