Populism

Czech lower house approves residency ban for misdemeanors

ROMEA, 19.12.2012 17:23, (ROMEA) News server iDNES.cz reports that local authorities in the Czech Republic will now be able to ban people from residency for up to three months as a punishment for selected repeated misdemeanors. The lower house overturned a previous veto of the bill by Czech President Václav Klaus today. Klaus called the bill, initiated by Czech MP Ivana Řápková (Civic Democrats - ODS), rash, obviously populist, and possibly unconstitutional.  full story

Czech mayor, fearing theft, rejects Romani volunteers

Nový Bor, 21.11.2012 20:21, (ROMEA) The town hall in Nový Bor has rejected a group of Romani residents who have offered to clean up a local cemetery before winter. The mayor is afraid they would steal something.  full story

New report shows anti-Romani violence is a pan-European phenomenon

Prague, 13.11.2012 17:10, (ROMEA) The European Association for the Defense of Human Rights (AEDH) and the Czech Helsinki Committee (Český helsinský výbor - ČHV) have issued a fundamental condemnation of the violence faced by Romani people in Europe. The organizations have written about this topic in a joint report entitled "Roma People in Europe in the 21st Century: Violence, Exclusion, Insecurity" (available in English at http://www.helcom.cz/dokumenty/Roma%20REPORT.pdf). Below you will find a translation of the AEDH/ČHV press release about this report and a translation of the Czech summary of the report:  full story

Greek Metropolitan Bishop says neo-Nazis are the people's hope

Athens, Greece, 29.10.2012 19:23, (ROMEA) A leading representative of the Greek Orthodox church, Metropolitan Bishop Ambrosios of Kalavryta, shocked the public yesterday by calling the neo-Nazis in the Golden Dawn party the "sweet hope" of the people. Online Greek news server newsit.gr called the statements of the clergyman symptoms of insanity.  full story