Islamofobie

Czech anti-immigration activist launches book on the premises of the lower house, ultra-conservatives support it

18.3.2018 10:19 Petr Hampl, the anti-immigration and anti-Islam activist and sociologist, has launched his new book about Islam and the alleged "Islamicization" of society on the premises of the Czech Chamber of Deputies. Hampl is known for having publicly expressed support for the father who filmed himself urging his preschool-aged daughter to hit a pillow with a baseball bat while pretending she was hitting a Muslim or a Romani person, and his book launch was attended by the son of former Czech President Václav Klaus and by other MPs.  full story

France: Attack on Mosque in Paris Continues Europe’s Recent Vehicle Ramming Trend

30.6.2017 14:21 On 29 June, a man attempted to drive into a Paris mosque, allegedly to avenge attacks previously linked to the so-called Islamic State. Barriers protecting the mosque prevented pedestrian injury and the attacker has been arrested.  full story

Julius Zajac: Ideological extremism is no longer "rising" - it's already here

6.4.2017 15:52 On Wednesday, 22 March, a terrorist attack happened in London, England. On Thursday, 23 March, police thwarted another such attack in Antwerp, Belgium.  full story

Slovak opposition movement wants to ban mosque construction

7.3.2017 11:04 An opposition movement in Slovakia called "We Are A Family - Boris Kollár" (Jsme rodina-Boris Kollár - JRBK) wants to ban the construction of mosques there. The movement has justified its proposal by alleging that mosques represent a security risk.  full story

Czech court rejects Interior Ministry lawsuit over gallows mock-ups

14.9.2016 16:18 The Municipal Court in Prague has rejected a lawsuit filed by the Czech Interior Ministry against the Prague 1 Municipal Department over mock-ups of gallows that were used during demonstrations against Islam last year. The local authority assessed the action of bringing the mock-ups to a public assembly as lawful.  full story

Czech court says police must further investigate ultra-right activist's hate speech about Muslims

15.8.2016 17:20 The Regional Court in České Budějovice has returned the case against ultra-right activist Martin Konvička, who is suspected of inciting hatred against the religion of Islam, back to the public prosecutor. The case was initially returned to the prosecutor by the first-instance court there.  full story

Czech celebrity's music video against Islam earns ridicule, but at what cost?

12.8.2016 8:00 Erik Tabery, Editor-in-Chief of the Czech weekly RESPEKT, has commented on the phenomenon of celebrity Olivie Žižková and her music video against Islam, "Europe, Start Breathing" (Evropo dýchej). "We all love videos of people we can laugh at because they are a unique opportunity to feel better. The singer Olivie Žižková and her song 'Evropo dýchej' offer many reasons to feel better in this regard, but it's not really a laughing matter, for several reasons," Tabery writes for news server Respect.cz after Žižková was interviewed by journalist Daniela Drtinová of the DVTV channel.  full story

Czech Muslims hold public event to condemn terrorism

10.8.2016 10:53 Czech Muslims have decided to make a public, thorough condemnation of the terrorist attacks that have recently shaken Europe and are gathering on Jiřího z Poděbrad Square in Prague today. Their intention is to honor the victims of those attacks and to express their shared concern with other inhabitants of the Czech Republic over the violence in Europe committed by terrorists.  full story

Europe: Anti-refugee initiatives spreading lies about German justice system after Munich shooting

8.8.2016 13:07 Yet another manipulation of the facts is making the rounds online, this time about the attack perpetrated on 22 July in Munich, Germany. Ali David Sonboly, a racist supporter of the ultra-right, murdered nine people during a shooting spree on that day.  full story

Czech Govt Agency for Social Inclusion's dilemma: What to do with haters of "HateFree" who work with Romani children?

14.5.2016 9:55 "Come take a look" says Romana Hanzlová as she welcomes me into the Lampa center in the town of Mimoň. The club is pleasantly furnished with a ping-pong table around which several people are sitting, the atmosphere is friendly.  full story

Czech daily: Police investigations of hate attacks are remarkably ineffective

30.4.2016 13:34 The online news server Lidovky.cz has published a summary of recent hate attacks in the Czech Republic and the developments to date in their investigations. The article describes the circumstances of five cases, each of which has received particular media attention.  full story

Czech Interior Ministry not allowing party to add "Bloc against Islam" to its name

22.3.2016 19:58 The Czech Interior Ministry has denied permission to the Úsvit-Národní koalice (Dawn-National Coalition) political party to change its name to "Úsvit s Blokem proti islámu" (Dawn with the Bloc against Islam). Party chair Miroslav Lidinský informed journalists of the decision today.  full story

Czech Interior Minister: Police committed "minor excesses" during recent demonstrations

21.2.2016 19:54 The Czech Police, who are facing criticism over the approach they took to recent demonstrations against Islam and in support of refugee reception, are officially said to have managed the situation well, save for a few "minor excesses". Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) gave that assessment to journalists yesterday in Prague.  full story

Blog administrator at Czech daily gets death threats after shutting down "Bloc against Islam" bloggers

10.2.2016 18:57 Cyber-bullying, death threats, racist insults. Patrik Banga, who is charge of administering blogs for the Czech daily iDNES.cz, has been facing all of those since Monday when, after several warnings, he closed down the blog of Martin Konvička, the leader of the populist, xenophobic "Bloc against Islam" group.  full story

Czech demonstrations confirm the radicalization of society, experts believe

9.2.2016 22:30 Saturday's demonstrations about migration confirmed radicalizing trends and are a reflection of the distribution of various moods in Czech society with respect to the migration issue. They also demonstrated the growing aggression, hatred, and violence taking place here at an interpersonal level.  full story

František Kostlán: Neo-Nazis and the "optimists" are not equivalents, all democrats should oppose extremism

9.2.2016 3:25 We have made a mistake. We have let a discussion arise in Czech society asserting that the followers of former Czech President Havel, the "optimists" or the "truth-lovers", are just one side of the same coin as the fascists, neo-Nazis and populists of this society.  full story

Czech Justice Minister says police work failed during demonstrations in Prague

9.2.2016 1:40 The police, according to Czech Justice Minister Robert Pelikán, failed on Saturday when they did not intervene against masked rioters attacking the procession of the "No to Racism" initiative as it was heading to Prague Castle. He believes the commanders of the police maneuvers should be disciplined.  full story

Czech Police say man with no mask at scene of masked neo-Nazi attack was an anti-conflict officer

9.2.2016 1:02 The Prague Police have responded to numerous discrepancies and questions raised by the media about Saturday's demonstrations and have officially explained some of the moments that transpired. News server Romea.cz is publishing the police press release in full translation here.  full story

Czech Republic: Xenophobic populists criticize Merkel and migration, neo-Nazis throw Molotov cocktails and rocks

8.2.2016 23:46 On Saturday more than 1 000 people attended a demonstration against Islam on Hradčanské Square in Prague convened by the "Bloc against Islam" and the "Dawn of Direct Democracy" (Úsvit) movement. Speakers at the event criticized those advocating for refugees and politicians in both the Czech Republic and the EU  full story

Czech anti-racism initiative says assault on Syrian man caused by xenophobic atmosphere

4.2.2016 19:35 According to the anti-Fascists in the "No to Racism" Initiative, which is convening a demonstration in Prague this coming Saturday against hatred, the recently-reported assault on a Syrian man there is one consequence of the atmosphere being created by xenophobic movements in Czech society. "No to Racism" will be assembling to denounce such hatred.  full story