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Romany activists hiss off Czech deputy PM Cunek

22 October 2012
2 minute read

Czech deputy PM Jiri Cunek (Christian Democrat, KDU-CSL, chairman) was hissed off by some 100 Romany activists and NGOs representatives at a demonstration calling for his resignation over abusive words on Romanies, staged outside the Government Office today.

Demonstrators also chanted the slogan "Resignation, resignation!"

Cunek, who is also senator and Local Development Minister, talked to journalists present on the spot and to a couple of demonstrators. However, Romany activists refused to speak with him.

Cunek said that he never took steps against Romanies, but he always helped them. However, demonstrators said that Cunek harmed Romanies.

He is, on the contrary supported by right-wing extremists.

A couple of nationalists from the extremist National Party monitored the event from a distance.

Policemen patrolled during the demonstration.

Minister without portfolio Dzamila Stehlikova (Greens), who is in charge of the minority agenda, appeared at the demonstration, too.

Cunek raised uproar among Romanies by his controversial statements in the tabloid Blesk. In reaction to a question whether other people would receive state subsidies similar to those given to Romanies he said that "for this they would have to get sunburnt [alluding to Romanies’ skin colour], make a mess with their family, put up fires on town squares and only then some politicians would say they are really miserable people."

Asked about Romanies abusing social benefits, Cunek said he would complicate the welfare system so that even a lot of such Romanies would work.

National Party press section told CTK that the party would only "send patrols to monitor safety risks connected with the presence of so many precious metal collectors in the city," hinting at Romanies being labelled as pick-pockets.

National Party deputy chairwoman Petra Edelmannova should also appear on the spot to present "her proposal for the final solution to the Gipsy question," said the press section.

Cunek drew the public and media attention before the local elections last year, when he as mayor of Vsetin, north Moravia, relocated local Romany rent-defaulters from a dilapidated house in the Vsetin centre to a new house made of tin container-like flats on the town’s outskirts, while further Romany families were sent away from Vsetin and resettled elsewhere in Moravia.

Cunek has been already called on to resign over the accusation of having taken a half-million-crowns bribe in 2002 when he was mayor of Vsetin. However, he pleads innocent and he has refused to step down from the government posts and the KDU-CSL helm. The Christian Democrats have so far backed him up.

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