April 20, 2009, Czech Republic: Roma communities in the Czech Republic are facing increased threats as extremist groups step up attacks and demonstrations against the ethnic minority.
The latest attack came Sunday, when, according to media reports, a Roma couple and their 22-month-old toddler were badly burned after someone threw molotov cocktails into their home in Vitkov, a town in the northeast Czech Republic.
The Dzeno Association, a leading Roma rights group and partner of The Advocacy Project (AP), has covered the attack and reaction on its website.
Police are still investigating the attack, and have not determined whether it was racially motivated.
The incident has been sharply denounced by outgoing Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and President Vaclav Klaus. Vladimir Spidla, a member of the European Commission, also expressed concerns over the increasing level of aggression against Roma in the European Union (EU).
“The issue of personal safety of Roma is directly related to the broader problem of their being persistently discriminated against and marginalised in European societies,” he said in a statement posted on the Dzeno website. “Unless both the EU and the Member States make significant efforts to overcome the exclusion of Roma, they will remain particularly exposed to attacks on their lives and property.”
The arson attack comes amid rising political activity of far- right and neo-Nazi groups in the Czech Republic.
On the same night the home in Vitkov was burned, extremists held a highly- publicized march through the northwest Czech town of Usti nad Labem. Earlier this month, far-right groups organized a march (shown at left) through the Roma-populated area in Prerov, where 500 demonstrators chanted “Czechs come with us” as well as anti-Roma statements. Later, the demonstrators clashed with riot police.
Amnesty International delegates, on a research mission to the Czech Republic, observed the Prerov rally and reported on the clashes. Amnesty International has worked for years to combat anti-Roma discrimination and has documented cases of violent attacks against Roma.
About 300,000 Roma live in the Czech Republic, making up less than 3 percent of the population. However, they constitute one-third of the country’s unemployed, and are also among the most vulnerable to racially-motivated violence.
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Posted Apr 20th, 2009
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honza
April 22, 2009
The 2-year old toddler has suffered burns on 80% of her body and may die or suffer for the rest of her life. Several other people were injured and taken to a hospital. The media say that the terrorist attack involved four fire bombs which were thrown into the family house at night while the family was asleep. Czech institutions are not doing enough, if anything at all, to guarantee the right to life and physical integrity of the Czech population. During Nazi/terrorist demonstrations, Czech authorities protect Nazis and violently suppress any expressions of public disapproval. Nazi demonstrations are regularly held in the Czech Republic with the permission of Czech courts (most recently three Nazi marches held last weekend). Immediate police and military actions must be taken against these terrorist organizations otherwise they will take over power by simply continuing in their attacks against toddlers and other arbitrary victims. If Czech institutions do not have the ability or willingness to protect the lives and physical integrity of Czechs against terrorist groups active in the Czech Republic, Czechs have the full right to use any means for their defense, including violence and mass emigration ot safe countries such as Canada. If Czech institutions do not take immediate action, humanitarian intervention by other countries in the affected regions may be needed and sanctions may need to be introduced against the Czech Republic as a country which tolerates or protects terrorist organizations.
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