Image of a Romani woman allegedly beaten up by Ukrainians is going viral, Czech police say they are investigating a reported robbery

A photograph of a Romani woman’s face showing signs of a beating has been spreading among Romani social media users along with a description of an incident alleging that the woman had been in Brno’s Cejl neighborhood when a group of Ukrainians allegedly assaulted her by pulling her into a van and beating her up. Other allegations are spreading on social media that a group of Ukrainians is allegedly “chasing” Romani people on a regular basis this way.

According to the police, a robbery was reported as having happened on Saturday, but more details of the incident cannot be revealed due to the ongoing investigation. “The circumstances of the robbery, which is said to have occurred on Saturday evening in Plynárenská Street, are being examined by Brno detectives. The woman reported an attack during which she was injured and the loss of her handbag with a delay of several days. Given the state of the investigation, we cannot give more detailed information,” police spokesperson Pavel Šváb told news server Romea.cz in response to the information and photographs circulating on social media.

At the moment, it is not clear who the assailants were and how the entire incident transpired. News server Romea.cz will continue to monitor the investigation.