Havel: Čunek’s stance on the Roma is socially and historically more dangerous than a single bribe

In Monday’s issue of the Respekt weekly, former Czech President Václav Havel gave his opinion on the case of Deputy PM Jiří Čunek. In his opinion, the corruption allegations are a relatively simple criminal case which will be solved sooner or later, but Čunek’s stance on the Romani minority is much more serious as well as socially and historically dangerous.

In the interview for Respekt, Havel says that in his opinion, politics in the Czech Republic has alienated the public and society as a whole and is becoming a joke, which is not good. “When the media participates in this, then we live from scandal to scandal, and when the government is connected with it all in various ways, then politics becomes alienated from the citizens and turns against them in the end. I consider this a warning sign – and this is more important than whether a certain person becomes minister or not,” Havel said.