Nový Bydžov is not alone! Initiative calls on Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner to actively participate

The Nový Bydžov is not alone! Initiative has called on Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner Monika Šimůnková to personally participate in the gathering against (neo)Nazism and the inculcation of collective blame against Roma people on Saturday 12 March. The gathering is taking place in response to a (neo)Nazi march through the town of Nový Bydžov that same day.

“Our gathering is being organized under the rubric of the newly-created Nový Bydžov is not alone! Initiative, whose members include Roma people living in Nový Bydžov and activists who have long been involved in human rights, often working in NGOs focused on Roma rights or other human rights topics. The signatories of this call include well-known persons from public life involved in human rights, such as Markus Pape, Gwendolyn Albert, Jarmila Balážová, Achab Haidler, Tomáš Velímský, Ladislav Baláž and your predecessor, Michael Kocáb,” the open letter reads. News server Romea.cz publishes it in full below.

Open letter

Mgr. Monika Šimůnková,

Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner

Esteemed Ms Šimůnková,

Please allow us to turn to you with a request that is closely related to your role as Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner. We would like to request your participation in our gathering against (neo)Nazism and the inculcation of collective guilt against Roma people. We are holding this gathering on Saturday, 12 March 2011, in Nový Bydžov from 11:00 AM in “U Hřiště” street, followed by a procession through the streets of Nový Bydžov. The entire event has been properly announced and the town has not banned it.

We are turning to you because your predecessors usually participated in such events, sometimes actively, speaking on the topic, etc. This tradition was introduced by Petr Uhl, the country’s first-ever Human Rights Commissioner.

Our gathering is being organized under the rubric of the newly-created Nový Bydžov is not alone! Initiative, whose members include Roma people living in Nový Bydžov and activists who have long concerned themselves with human rights, often working in NGOs focused on Roma rights or other human rights topics. The signatories of this call include famous persons from public life involved in human rights, such as Markus Pape, Gwendolyn Albert, Jarmila Balážová, Achab Haidler, Tomáš Velímský, Ladislav Baláž and your predecessor, Michael Kocáb.

We have organized this call and this gathering in Nový Bydžov because on that same day an anti-Roma demonstration will be held by the extreme-right Workers’ Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti – DSSS), with which the militant (neo)Nazi initiatives National Resistance (Národní odpor – NO) and Autonomous Nationalists (Autonomní nacionalisté – AN) have affiliated themselves. Their events are being held under the slogan “Against Rising Crime”. Given our experience with previous such demonstrations in Litvínov-Janov and Přerov, however, we believe these will actually be hate gatherings intended to exploit the “anti-Roma mood” of part of society in order to score political points for the DSSS and the undemocratic ideas it represents.

We believe in democratic principles, including respect for dignity and human rights, the right to a fair trial, and the principle of the presumption of innocence. These values are now jeopardized. From our point of view, we have the opportunity – and essentially the obligation – to stand up for these values and defend them, as indifference gradually shifts the border of what is permissible past the point of no return. We condemn all of the crimes that have occurred in Nový Bydžov, but we reject the principle of collective blame and we are opposed to those crimes serving as an excuse for anti-Roma rhetoric.

Esteemed Ms Šimůnková, we believe every democratic government shares the values we have described and that the Human Rights Commissioner may therefore participate without concern in our event and ones similar to it. Please allow us, therefore, to call on you to participate in our event in Nový Bydžov. We invite you and look forward to seeing you there.