Paroubek's show presents jokes mocking Romanies
Prague, 1. 2. 2006, 8:28 (CTK)

Jokes mocking Romanies have been told on the stage in the touring show of popular entertainer Jiri Krampol and Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek called "Premiere with Premier," staged within Paroubek's campaign before the June general election, the daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) writes today.

Krampol told the jokes based on the stereotypical picture of Romanies as social outcasts avoiding regular work and committing petty crimes in the theatre in Jihlava, south Moravia, on Monday. Political analysts and activists have sharply criticised the incident, pointing out that the head of the government should not have participated in a programme that ridicules ethnic minorities.

"This is unacceptable, and it is sad that the prime minister who, on the contrary, should defend the rights of all citizens stoops to taking part in an entertaining programme where ethnic minorities become a target of jokes," sociologist Daniel Hanzl told the paper.

"In the countries with a highly developed democracy, this would be a scandal. If, for instance, the U.S. president appeared in such a show," the paper quotes political analyst Jiri Pehe as saying.

Paroubek (Social Democrats, CSSD) did not react to the jokes immediately on the stage, but probably over the criticism such "politically incorrect jokes" were omitted in the next show, the paper says.

Asked by the daily for explanation, Paroubek refused to comment on the case.

Krampol on his part said that he can see nothing wrong with jokes on Romanies. "If there are jokes about chimney sweepers, doctors and blondes, why not about Romanies?" the paper quotes Krampol as saying.

However, unlike Romanies, "blondes and doctors" are not being discriminated against because of their ethnicity, MfD points out. "The prime minister should have raised objections to such jokes immediately," said Markus Pape, German activist who defends the rights of the Romany minority.

Moreover, the problematic jokes sounded in Paroubek's show attended by 300 people after the weekend when nationalists provoked a clash with Romanies at the former Nazi internment camp for Czech Romanies in Lety, south Bohemia. Pape was then detained by police since he loudly protested against the meeting of the National Party's supporters who questioned Romanies' sufferings during WW2, the paper recalls.

Paroubek has been touring the Czech Republic with his show for two months with the clear aim to introduce himself to the public as "a normal man" with a sense of humour. However, the "humour" presented in his programme is often on the verge of vulgarity and obscenity," MfD adds.

CTK