Vojtěch Pačan: The gadje turned out in person for the Prague demonstration, but Romani people only express their criticism on Facebook

I regret that many Romani people on Facebook are criticizing the demonstration against racism that took place last weekend in Prague. That demonstration was about you, about us Roma.
That demonstration was about all of us. I am really sorry that these Romani people are criticizing the fact that so few of us were there, but each person who dislikes the low turnout should realize that if he or she had come to the demonstration, there would have been enough of us there.
I can't believe you all had to go to work on a Saturday. Morevoer, many people confirmed they were coming - and then didn't show up.
It was cold that day, but I went there with my children and we froze outside for the demonstration. We were freezing there for our freedom.
We were there because we want something to change. People came there all the way from Brno - Czech people, nobody gave them any money for that trip, they came on their own, by bus, and with their children.
How can you expect anything to change if you cannot manage to participate? I see all these posts on Facebook about all the parties you manage to go to.
That's fine, go have a good time, but take an interest in other things too. What kind of a life do you want for your children here?
You don't actually care about your children, or tomorrow, or the future, but about today and how you are enjoying yourselves right now. If you cared about tomorrow, about the future, then I believe a much larger number of us would have been standing there and we would have been heard.
This is the problem of the Romani people here, that we are not managing to stick together. The Slavia football fans walked past us during the demonstration and some of them asked us what we were doing there.
I told them we were fighting against racism, against Okamura. They paid us no mind, even if they probably don't like us, and our demonstration continued.
Moreover, people from the majority society came out to support us, because it's not all the same to them that somebody here is humiliating us. The gadje carried our Romani flag with pride and said "We are with you, we are Romani."
Those of you who didn't come probably don't even care what happens to you! The SPD party of Tomio Okamura, [Prime Minister] Andrej Babiš, Czech President Miloš Zeman and other politicians are publicly criticizing us Roma.
They are basing that criticism on claiming that it is we who are damaging the country, that we are a scourge that has no business being here. Through your lack of interest, you are actually proving them right, because you were not there, you did not come protest.
Why didn't you come express your opinion at the demonstration, express your disagreement with what is happening here today? You didn't manage to come support your own future or that of your children, and that's a shame.
Don't miss:
- Czech demonstration against doubting the genocide of the Roma, hatred and racism
- Organizers of yesterday's demonstration say politicians' allegations of "assault" by protesters in front of Prague hotel are a lie
- LIVE BROADCAST of Prague demonstrations against the ENF conference
- Czech Republic: Family of Romani man shot dead in Chomutov doesn't want demonstrations
- Czech Police to get new powers to disperse assemblies, spontaneous demonstrations will not have legal protection
- Czech Interior Minister suing City of Prague over opinion on gallows at demonstration
- Czech Republic: Five charged for neo-Nazi assault on demonstration in favor of receiving refugees
- Czech Republic: Demonstrations for and against receiving migrants in Ostrava
- Czech youth who fired gas pistol at demonstration given 200 hours of community service
- Czech Interior Ministry appealing municipal decision on gallows at anti-refugee hate demonstration
- Czech Interior Minister: Police committed "minor excesses" during recent demonstrations
- Czech demonstrations confirm the radicalization of society, experts believe
Related articles:
- Commentary: Czech Govt Human Rights Commissioner declares her strong opposition to racially-motivated differential treatment of refugees, calls for solidarity
- Brno cancels new refugee camp idea after overwhelming criticism and pressure from Czech Govt Human Rights Commissioner to negotiate on the situation of Romani refugees
- Brno, Czech Republic: 50 people protest city's treatment of Romani refugees from Ukraine
- PHOTO GALLERY: Protesters create an "alley of shame" in front of Brno City Hall to protest city representatives' treatment of Romani refugees from Ukraine
- Czech Republic's second-largest city to see day of demonstrations tomorrow against treatment of Romani refugees and their children
- Czech city to raze apartment buildings where local council briefly fenced off Romani residents from view after their non-Romani neighbors complained
- Czech mayor makes openly racist statement that her town just wants "white" refugees from Ukraine, not children and women of Romani origin
- USA: Racist murderer in Buffalo, New York charged with hate crimes, faces death penalty
- Slovakia to compensate Romani victims of police brutality after nine years of judicial procedures
- Petr Torák, MBE, refused restaurant service in Czech capital because he is Romani - interview will broadcast in Czech at 20:00 CET
- Czech Police tell public broadcaster that of more than 5 000 Romani refugees from Ukraine who have been vetted, just 150 have Hungarian passports
- Tomáš Ščuka: Representatives of Czech Republic's second-largest city say Romani women from Ukraine here are not refugees and they will not aid them
Tags:
Demonstrace, Racism, Roma, vyjádřeníHEADLINE NEWS
