Czech republic

Czech government to deal with problematic Romany housing estate

Litvinov, 21.11.2008 20:57, (ROMEA) The Czech government will deal with the difficult situation in the Janov housing estate in Litvinov, mainly inhabited by Romanies, Local Development Minister Jiri Cunek (the Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) told journalists today.  full story

North Moravian Romanies warn against mass emigration

Ostrava, 21.11.2008 20:55, (ROMEA) Romanies from north Moravia have sent an open letter to Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, warning against what they call impending mass emigration of Romanies due to the latest activities of far-right extremists.  full story

Romany problems need single solution in whole CzechRep - Cunek

Prague, 20.11.2008 15:49, (ROMEA) The problems with housing, education and employment of Czech Romanies can be solved, but need to be dealt with in the same way throughout the country by municipalities that would get state subsidies, Czech Local Development Minister Jiri Cunek said today.  full story

Canada not to reintroduce visas for Czechs

Ottawa/Washington, 20.11.2008 15:46, (ROMEA) Czechs will continue to travel to Canada without visas, the Czech Embassy in Ottawa told CTK after a meeting between Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Czech Human Rights and Minorities Minister Dzamila Stehlikova.  full story

Czech extremists announce another public march in Litvinov

Litvinov, 19.11.2008 22:26, (ROMEA) Members and followers of the Czech extreme rightists Workers' Party (DS) are preparing another protest march in Litvinov, DS deputy chairman Petr Kotab told journalists today.  full story

Czech Republic faces great civic disturbances-Romany activist

Prague, 19.11.2008 22:24, (ROMEA) The Czech Republic faces the greatest possible civic disturbances due to recent events in Litvinov where the police prevented far right radicals from marching through a Romany-populated housing estate, Cyril Koky, member of the government council for Romany affairs said today.  full story

12 Czechs accused of breach of peace due to racist march

Litvinov, 18.11.2008 22:29, (ROMEA) The Czech police have accused 12 people, mostly of breach of the peace in connection with an extremists' march to the Romany-inhabited Janov housing estate in Litvinov on Monday, local police spokeswoman Ludmila Svetlakova said.  full story

CzechRep sees toughest clash of police, far-rightists since 2000

Litvinov, 17.11.2008 22:33, (ROMEA) Hundreds of policemen today clashed with supporters of the Czech far-right Workers' Party (DS) near a Romany-inhabited vicinity in Litvinov, probably the toughest similar clash since 2000 when riots accompanied the world financial institutions' session in Prague.  full story

Czech Romanies' position on society margins not changing much

Prague, 10.11.2008 10:26, (ROMEA) Romanies, who have lived in the Czech Lands for 600 years, have suffered most in modern history by the Holocaust and forced assimilation under the Communist regime that started with the law on the permanent settlement of migrating persons that took effect on November 11, 1958.  full story

Czech Romanies do not want to return to nomadic way of life

Prague, 10.11.2008 10:19, (ROMEA) Romanies in the Czech Republic have forgotten about the nomadic way of life their ancestors led, Ivan Vesely, Dzeno association chairman and deputy chairman of the government council for Romany affairs, has told CTK.  full story

Czech Romanies to be incited to work by campaign

Prague, 7.11.2008 13:24, (ROMEA) A campaign called Do Something calling on Czech Romanies from socially marginalised localities to join the work process will start on Wednesday, head of the group Romea Zdenek Rysavy told CTK today.  full story

Czech ministry wants to abolish extremist party

Prague, 7.11.2008 13:22, (ROMEA) The Czech Interior Ministry today submitted a proposal that the extra-parliamentary ultra-right Workers' Party (DS) be abolished and the government is to deal with it within two weeks, Interior Minister Jiri Langer told journalists today.  full story

Czech Romany woman not to be compensated for sterilisation-court

Olomouc, 7.11.2008 13:21, (ROMEA) Czech Romany woman Iveta Cervenakova, 32, will not receive financial compensation for an unwanted sterilisation that Ostrava City Hospital doctors performed on her 11 years ago, the Olomouc High Court ruled today.  full story

Czech Romanies to be incited to work by campaign

Prague, 2.11.2008 17:33, (ROMEA) A campaign called Do Something calling on Czech Romanies from socially marginalised localities to join the work process will start on Wednesday, head of the group Romea Zdenek Rysavy told CTK today.  full story

Czech Rep should pay more attention to Romany employment - WB

Prague, 28.10.2008 18:39, (ROMEA) The Czech Republic should more support employment of Romanies as more than half of Czech Romanies in productive age do not have work and are not registered at labour offices, according to a World Bank report on the employment of Romanies in the Czech Republic presented to journalists today.  full story

Neo-Nazis come to Dělnická strana demonstration armed, police detain 13

Prague, 28.10.2008 18:34, (ROMEA) This afternoon a gathering of supporters of the extreme right-wing Dělnická strana (DS) lasting roughly half an hour took place on Jiřího z Poděbrad square in Prague. The event took place under exceptional security measures on the part of the Prague police, due to which the gathering, billed as a "Day of National Unity", began later than originally scheduled. Speeches were given on the square by DS chair Tomáš Vandas and Vice-Chair Jiří Štěpánek only. Police estimated that 150-200 neo-Nazis attended.  full story

Man suspected of murder in Rakovník is not a Rom, victim and alleged murderer are related

Rakovnik, 28.10.2008 13:35, (ROMEA) Police say disinformation is being spread about the death of a 27-year-old man who died as the result of stab wounds over the weekend in Rakovník. According to the website of the extremist association Autonomní nacionalisté (Autonomous Nationalists) one of their supporters was murdered, allegedly by a Rom. René Černý, spokesperson for the Rakovnik police force, as well as the father of the youth suspected of committing the crime, both say that information is incorrect. Černý told ČTK: "I can refute the assertion that the perpetrator was of Roma nationality."  full story

Extremists gather in Prague

Prague, 28.10.2008 10:48, (ROMEA) Two extreme right-wing groups, the Dělnická strana (DS) and the Národní strana (NS), want to exploit today's 90th anniversary of the creation of an independent Czechoslovakia by holding demonstrations in Prague. DS supporters will gather in the afternoon on Jiřího z Poděbrad square, while NS supporters will gather in the early evening on Wenceslas Square. Police have evaluated the DS event as high-risk, as the party is connected with ultra-right wing and neo-Nazi groups such as Národní odpor ("National Resistance" - NO).  full story

Czechs Greens want govt to discuss extremists' actions

Prague, 24.10.2008 21:07, (ROMEA) Czech Education Minister Ondrej Liska (Green Party, SZ) wants the government to discuss the rightist extremists' action in Litvinov, north Bohemia, last Saturday, he says in a statement his party sent to CTK today.  full story

Cunek wants CzechRep to spend 14 billion crowns on Romany housing

Prague, 24.10.2008 21:05, (ROMEA) The Czech Republic could spend 10 to 14 billion crowns on upgrading local Romanies' housing in the next ten to fifteen years, under a plan of solving problems faced by the Romany community that is under preparation, Deputy PM and Local Development Minister Jiri Cunek said today.  full story