Hackers attack educational website of the ROMEA association

The educational website of the ROMEA association has become the target of an internet attack. A defamatory text was posted to www.skola.romea.cz criticizing alleged “reverse racism” and “welfare abuse” by Romani people.

The main website of the association, www.romea.cz, has also had problems. Zdeněk Ryšavý, the director of ROMEA, said the news server has not been attacked but has been overwhelmed by increased readership.

“Racist e-mails come to us practically every day, but this is the first time someone has hacked our server,” Ryšavý declared. He said he was surprised someone had succeeded in posting the text to the website. Technicians have already removed it.

“The ROMEA association exploits the disgusting advantages of the state to help people who evidently don’t care. There is reverse racism in this country. The Roma exploit their advantages to oppress all the rest of us and pretend they are the ones harmed the most!” the message on the website read. The text went on to propose deportations to Russia, where everyone without valid Czech identification should be sent.

Ryšavý said the association’s main website has not been hacked. He believes it has been overwhelmed by readers accessing the most recent article about the shooting case in Tanvald, where a 22-year-old Romani man died on New Year’s and another was injured. The Regional State Prosecutor has stated the incident was not one of murder and that the shooter was defending himself after being attacked with a knife. “People are curious to read what we are writing about the case,” Ryšavý said.

The ROMEA association focuses in particular on educational and media work. In 2004 it launched the educational website www.skola.romea.cz, which aims to improve Czech society’s awareness of Romani culture, history, and literature.