Menšiny

Former secretary for Czech ultranationalist party rejects indictment over his remarks about minorities

17.12.2018 15:16  full story

Czech survey finds youth are more prejudiced against minorities than their elders

8.2.2018 7:46 A survey performed by experts from the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes (ÚSTR) in collaboration with the Institute of Sociology has ascertained that while the subjects of the Holocaust, minorities and tolerance are being taught in the Czech schools, the instruction is having no influence on some widespread prejudices. ÚSTR has long focused on instruction about these sensitive historical subjects in the schools and more than 600 teachers take its courses annually.  full story

videoCzech Republic: New Human Rights Minister Chvojka officially takes office

2.12.2016 18:47 The Czech Government has two new members: Czech President Miloš Zeman has appointed Jan Chvojka to the post of Human Rights Minister and Miloslav Ludvík to the post of Health Minister. They have replaced outgoing cabinet members Jiří Dienstbier and Svatopluk Němeček respectively.  full story

Media image of Romani people in Slovakia: Generalizations and stereotypes

13.1.2016 23:06 The civic association Romano kher - Rómsky dom (Roma House) has produced an analysis of selected Slovak media outlets in collaboration with the Media Academy, focusing on those outlets that significantly contribute to creating the image of various minorities for the Slovak public. The survey monitored the period from the beginning of June to the end of October 2015.  full story

Czech Republic: Romani journalist starts media "incubator"

12.7.2015 23:22 "Young Roma have a lot to say about what is going on around them. However, they come up against the fact that they are unable to express their opinions in such a way as to be able to participate in a public debate, and frequently they never have the room to present their opinions about matters other than inter-ethnic coexistence," says Věra Lacková, the author of the "Media Voice" program in the Czech Republic.  full story

Commentary: Are the Czech police not bothered by death threats and a gallows?

6.7.2015 22:08 The following commentary was first published in Czech on 2 July.  full story

Czech amendment would make it easier for minorities to ask for bilingual street signs

12.6.2015 19:16 If a proposed amendment passes, groups representing the interests of national minorities that have been active on the territory of a particular municipality for at least five years will be able to request bilingual street signs. Passage would also mean the Czech Interior Ministry would be able to intervene in territorial disputes between municipalities.  full story

UN Human Rights Council review of anti-Gypsyism will be webcast live next week

10.6.2015 3:12 Rita Izsák, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, will present her study of the human rights situation for Romani people worldwide before the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday, 15 June 2015. Last year the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution recognizing that Roma have faced widespread discrimination worldwide, in all areas of life, for half a millenium or more.  full story

Czech News Agency produces biased, stereotyping report about Janov housing estate

25.3.2015 20:51, (ROMEA) In its 24 March report about the events around the Janov housing estate in Litvínov, the Czech News Agency, an independent public wire service, has committed some serious infractions against the "objective" reporting that is its mission under the law. The criticism levied by media analyses showing that Romani people ("inadaptables") are depicted stereotypically by the Czech media applies to this wire service to a great extent .
 full story

Czech Republic: "Living Library" combats prejudice

Prague, 7.3.2015 1:26, (ROMEA) "This has definitely helped me in that I became aware, from their stories, of how hard life can be for people," says high school student Agáta Matějková of her experience with the Living Library. She won't be borrowing Čapek or Hemingway there, but she is able to speak with the "books" she chooses - literally.  full story

videoSlovakia: Scandalous verdict acquits police of torturing Romani children

Bratislava, Slovakia, 28.2.2015 23:57, (ROMEA) Yesterday a court in Slovakia acquitted all 10 current and former police officers who faced prosecution for abusing Romani children at a police station. The police filmed their humiliation of the children using their mobile phones and shared the footage.  full story

Do Romani media make sense?

Prague, 19.2.2015 15:13, (ROMEA) Do "Romani media" make sense? Are such media outlets just components of "ethno-business"?  full story

Czech Republic: HateFree Zones combat rising intolerance

Prague, 13.2.2015 0:53, (ROMEA) Places that are open to all irrespective of their ethnicity or other group affiliation can become branded HateFree Zones. The branding is a new activity of the HateFree Culture campaign being run by the Human Rights Section of the Minister for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD).  full story

Greek Parliament to convene with Golden Dawn MPs in handcuffs

Athens, 5.2.2015 22:15, (ROMEA) The Greek Parliament is meeting today for its first session after early elections more than a week ago. That poll was won by the left-wing SYRIZA party, previously in opposition, who together with the nationalist Independent Greeks have formed a coalition government rather quickly.  full story

Czech President says he meant "only" the mentally disabled should be educated separately

Prague, 25.1.2015 3:53, (ROMEA) After meeting with Czech Education Minister Marcel Chládek (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD), Czech President Miloš Zeman has said that his recent remarks about handicapped children were not about the physically disabled. Chládek said that in their conversation, Zeman clarified that he had primarily meant to refer to moderately severe and profound cases of mental handicap.  full story

Commentary: Does Okamura have a future?

Prague, 6.1.2015 21:27, (ROMEA) There would be no point in returning to the hateful and stupid remarks by Tomio Okamura about Muslims and no point in covering them at all if a basic question were not hanging in the air: Does this indicate the future of our public discourse and politics? Unfortunately, such a future cannot be ruled out.  full story

Parallel worlds: The life of Romani people in Norway

Prague, 29.12.2014 21:59, (ROMEA) "There probably does not exist any other group against which Norwegians harbor more prejudice," says Balder Hasvoll, the Romani Minority Adviser to the Norwegian capital of Oslo. News server Romea.cz is interviewing him in Czech, as he has both studied and worked in the Czech Republic.  full story

Amnesty International Czech Republic launches online manual for teachers about handling intolerance

Prague, 9.12.2014 17:11, (ROMEA) Amnesty International Czech Republic has launched an online manual for teachers that provides instruction on how to handle displays of intolerance in the schools from their colleagues, their pupils, and their superiors. The manual is divided into five areas: Intolerance of non-Romani students for Romani people, intolerance of Czech students for foreigners living in the Czech Republic, the "caste systems" developed by students according to economic or other differences, bullying, and displays of xenophobia from other educators or school directors.  full story

Jarmila Balážová: The Czech media have neither the desire nor the time for the truth

Prague, 17.5.2014 0:09, (ROMEA) Jarmila Balážová has been working as the press spokesperson for the Czech Human Rights Minister since March. Prior to that she was a correspondent for Czech Radio 6 who moderated the programs "Focus on Human Rights" (Zaostřeno na lidská práva), "Studio STOP", "Dissuasion" (Rozmluvy), "Focus on Youth" (Zaostřeno na mladé) and "Science Talk" (Hovory o vědě).  full story

Commentary: Is Roma unemployment a cause or an effect?

Prague, 19.4.2014 0:24, (ROMEA) I find myself in complete agreement with representatives of the Czech Labor Office when it comes to the dead-end position of the Romani community here. They have said they consider Romani integration into society insufficient, and also that they fear further deterioration of the situation and the growth of right-wing extremism.  full story