Night club operator fined for refusing to attend to Romanies

Jiri Ozdinec, a night club operator in Ostrava, North Moravia, must pay 5,000 Czech crowns as compensation to each of the three Romanies who were deliberately not attended to by the night club staff in 2001, the High Court in Olomouc ruled today.

Besides, he has to send a written apology for the staff’s conduct to each of them.

The Romanies had filed a complaint over the protection of personality against him as they felt discriminated against and their human dignity was offended.

Originally, the Ostrava regional court adjudged them an apology and a higher, 50,000-crown compensation, but Ozdinec had appealed the verdict.

The Romanies visited the night club along with their friends six years ago. The staff refused to attend to them, claiming that they did not have the club cards, without which they could not enter the night club.

However, shortly after their departure some of their friends who are not Romanies entered the night club without any problems. The non-Romanies did not have any club cards. The police, who came to the scene, found out that none of the guests had a club card.