Detectives in Vysočina region are investigating a violent attack on a Romani family that may have been racially motivated. Petr Šváb of the Jihlava Police made the announcement earlier this week at a conference on extremism organized by the Vysočina Regional Authority. The incident occurred last year. The regional edition of Deník is reporting that Šváb did not want to reveal more details.
„I don’t want to talk about it yet, because it is a complicated case and we have not managed to prove racial motivation for the time being,“ Šváb told the Jihlava edition of Deník. He mentioned the case during a discussion with conference attendees who wanted to know whether extremists have been committing violence in the region.
The aim of the conference, which was supported by the Czech Education Ministry and the European Union, was to draw attention to extremism, which could become increasingly important given the current social situation in the region. Organizers also wanted to present the issue comprehensively with respect to the theoretical side and to familiarize participants with current trends and developments in extremism in the Czech Republic. Continue reading Czech conference on extremism: Detectives investigating violent attack on Romani family
Category Archives: Antiziganistische Übergriffe
Gedenken an Opfer der Mordserie an Roma in Ungarn
Der Kalender wollte es so, dass das offizielle Gedenken an die Mordserie an Zuwanderern durch Neonazis in Deutschland mit dem 3. Jahrestag eines ebenfalls rassistisch motivierten Doppelmordes an Roma in Ungarn zusammenfällt.
Am 23. Februar 2009 wurden Róbert Csorba und sein fünfjähriger Sohn Robika bei der Flucht aus ihrem brennenden Haus in Tatárszentgyörgy erschossen. Kurz zuvor marschierte die neofaschistische „Magyar Gárda“ aus dem Umfeld der seit 2010 im Parlament vertretenen Partei Jobbik durch diesen und andere Orte, um auf die „Zigeunerkriminalität“ aufmerksam zu machen und die Belange der „Magyaren“ zu schützen. Die Mordserie an ungarischen Roma in den Jahren 2008/09 forderte sechst Tote und rund ein Dutzend Verletzte, vier Tatverdächtigen, die im August 2009 verhaftet werden konnten, wird seit März letzten Jahres der Prozess gemacht.
In einigen Orten haben mittlerweile Jobbik-Bürgermeister das Sagen und nutzen vom Staat gesetzlich ermöglichte kommunale Beschäftigungsprogramme zum amtlichen Ausleben ihres offenen Rassismus`.
Das Staatssekretariat für soziale Integration, geleitet von Zoltán Balog, legte am Vorabend des Jahrestages einen Kranz am Tatort nieder und ließ erklären, dass man gegen den Hass, egal von welcher Seite, und seine Folgen vorgehen muss. Die Opfer seien zu schützen, egal welcher ethnischen Gruppe sie angehören, genauso wie die Täter nach Recht und Gesetz zu verurteilen sind.
Quelle: Pester Lloyd
Stand: 23.02.2012
Memories of a Bosnian Roma
20 years ago a group of Serb paramilitaries destroyed a Roma village in Eastern Bosnia, killing all the residents. A child survived and, today, he is asking for his people justice before the Belgrade’s War Crimes Prosecutor
What happened in Skočić on July 12th, 1992?
We had just come back home. My father worked as a bricklayer and had decided to take us all to Serbia for some days, because the situation in Bosnia was very tense. After a while things appeared to be improving, and everyone was saying that there would be no war. So we returned to Skočić, near Zvornik, where we lived. On July 12th, at approximately 9 in the evening, two trucks full of soldiers came into the village.
Was it the Yugoslav army?
No, they were paramilitaries. It was the band of Sima Bogdanović, Sima “the Chetnik“.
Did they come from Bosnia or Serbia?
From Serbia. Continue reading Memories of a Bosnian Roma
Czech Republic: Yet another arson attack on a building with Romani tenants
Two masked, unidentified men threw Molotov cocktails at a residential hotel in the Czech town of Aš, home to two Romani families as well as non-Romani residents. One bottle struck a window and another struck the main door. Residents put the fire out themselves. Police are investigating the case as one of racially motivated reckless endangerment. No one was physically injured. Police have summoned reinforcements to Aš from Cheb to monitor the situation for the next few days.
The attack has been condemned by Czech Deputy Prime Minister Karolína Peake (Public Affairs – VV). Mayor of Aš Dalibor Blažek said the residential hotel houses two Romani families and non-Romani workers. For the time being it is not clear how many people were put at risk.
„The perpetrators were two men who were thin and about 180 cm tall. Police are asking any witnesses of this incident to call 158,“ police spokesperson Pavel Valenta said in a public statement. The attack took place at 2:30 AM in Nádražní street. The assailants then fled in the direction of Palackého street.
The Molotov cocktails damaged the plaster and set fire to the window of an apartment where people were sleeping. The main door to the building also caught fire, but residents put both fires out. „The fire didn’t get in because the windows are double-paned and the bottle made it through the first pane only,“ Valenta told news server iDNES.cz.
The Czech Press Agency has reported that firefighters intervened at the scene. The precise number of Molotov cocktails used in the attack was not given by the police spokesperson. Continue reading Czech Republic: Yet another arson attack on a building with Romani tenants
Strasbourg Court tells Czech Republic to pay compensation for death of Romani man at police station
The European Court for Human Rights (ECtHR) decided today that Czech authorities did not sufficiently investigate the circumstances under which 23-year-old Vladimír Pecha died at a police station in Brno in June 2002. The court ruled that many procedural errors had been committed and that the death of the young man, who weighed only 58 kg, would not have occurred had police officers not led him past windows without bars and had they had kept better watch over him. The judgment is available here: http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?item=1&portal=hbkm&action=html&highlight=Eremi%E1%u0161ov%E1&sessionid=86633519&skin=hudoc-en
„The Court came to the opinion that Mr Pecha’s right to life was violated,“ David Zahumenský, chair of the League of Human Rights, said today. The Court has awarded compensation to the deceased man’s loved ones in the amount of EUR 20 0000 (about CZK 506 000) and another EUR 4 000 eur (about 101 000) as compensation for their court costs.
Zahumenský says the case is the first-ever instance of the ECtHR criticizing the Czech Republic for violating the right to life. „We hope this precedent will motivate the Czech Republic to improve its approach toward investigating cases wherein police are suspected of abusing their power or where crime victims are concerned,“ Zahumenský told the Czech Press Agency today.
The ECtHR criticized the fact that the police escort neglected the Romani man’s security when he was in their custody. The youth was not handcuffed and the officers led him past a window with no bars on it. Other mistakes were made during the investigation of his death. The ECtHR found that the Czech authorities‘ investigation had been based entirely on the police officers‘ statements and testimony, which means it cannot be considered entirely independent. Continue reading Strasbourg Court tells Czech Republic to pay compensation for death of Romani man at police station
Das Schweigen im Walde
Fünf Personen müssen sich vor dem Amtsgericht Prenzlau wegen Volksverhetzung verantworten. Es geht um eine Zirkusfamilie, um Wut und Hass auf das Fremde.
In der Uckermark, ganz im Nordosten von Brandenburg und nahe der polnischen Grenze verliert sich das Zeitgefühl. Die Orte werden kleiner und die Wälder dichter. Gletscher formten hier eine Endmoränenlandschaft. Fürchterlich schön und einsam. In dieser ostdeutschen Einöde verbindet die Landstraße L23 Templin mit der A11. Etwa auf der Hälfte dieser Strecke durchquert die L23 auch den Ort Milmersdorf.
Vor anderthalb Jahren braute sich hier etwas Ungutes zusammen, so archaisch wie die Endmoränen. Eine Tat, die „geeignet“ war, „den öffentlichen Frieden zu stören“, wie die zuständige Staatsanwaltschaft Neuruppin in der Anklageschrift schreibt. Ein Dorfmob soll „Teile der Bevölkerung zum Hass“ angestachelt haben. Zielscheibe der Wut war die Zirkusfamilie H.
Es passiert am frühen Nachmittag des 24. September 2010. Was genau, darüber existieren zwei Erzählungen. Das Resultat jedoch lässt sich nicht mit Erinnerungslücken leugnen. Noch in der Nacht wird die Zirkusfamilie H. Milmersdorf unter Polizeischutz und völlig verängstigt verlassen. Die Scheiben ihrer Fahrzeuge sind zersplittert, Beulen an zwei Campingwohnwagen und dem LKW verursachen einen Sachschaden von 8 000 Euro. Zu einer Zirkusvorstellung ist es in Milmersdorf nicht gekommen.
Zwei Tage dauerte der Prozess vor dem Amtsgericht Prenzlau, der Dienstag zu Ende ging. 14 Zeuginnen und Zeugen wurden gehört. Die Anklage lautete auf Volksverhetzung, versuchte Nötigung und Sachbeschädigung. Sie richtete sich gegen drei Männer im Alter von 18, 21 und 31 Jahren sowie eine 18- und eine 26-jährige Frau. Ursprünglich hatte die Polizei gegen rund 10 Personen ermittelt. Continue reading Das Schweigen im Walde
Hundreds gather for anti-Roma rally in Varnsdorf
Some 200 people yesterday attended a meeting in support of a local family that was allegedly attacked by Romanies in Varnsdorf on January 1, and they criticised the Town Hall for not solving the security situation in the town.
The protesters blame politicians for not having reported on the incident truthfully. Local politicians namely said after the attack that the man may have caused the injuries himself under the influence of alcohol and that the assault was not recorded by a camera-monitoring system.
None of the assaulted family’s members came to the meeting on the square in Varnsdorf.However, a daughter of the allegedly attacked man thanked the participants for their support in a latter that the organisers read loud.
Five Romanies allegedly assaulted her parents outside the Sport dormitory in Varnsdorf in the night on January 1. The police classified the act of one of the perpetrators as racially motivated.
Local residents criticised the town management for passivity.
They recalled that the Town Hall promised after the previous protests last August and September to open a police station outside the Sport dormitory but it has no done it yet.
The Town Hall says it is to be opened next week.Crime has been rising lately in towns in northern Bohemia’s Sluknov area, known for tense relations between the majority population and Romanies. Local residents blame Romanies for the crimes, mainly frequent thefts and assaults.
„No one is dealing with it. Then anti-Romany moods arise. And these protests are their consequences,“ said Josef Masin, who organised a meeting in the nearby Rumburk on August 26, 2011, which stirred up a wave of anti-Romany protests in the Sluknov area.
Almost 1000 people took part in the so far largest rally held in Varnsdorf on September 10. Policemen prevented the protesters from approaching Romanies‘ dormitories. Supporters of extremist movements also took part in the event.
Some extremists attended yesterday’s meeting. A flag of the far-right Workers‘ Party of Social Justice (DSSS), successor to the abolished Workers‘ Party (DS), appeared in the crowd. Police monitored the meetings, but they did not have to interfere.
Quelle: Prague Daily Monitor
Stand: 16.01.2012
Romani woman murdered in Prague, locals allege perpetrators are Nazis
Three youths who have recently confessed to murdering a Romani woman in the Prague 3 district of Jarov were not first-time offenders but had previously assaulted a homeless couple not far from a trail that leads from a local housing estate there into a wooded area. Local residents say the youths did not attack homeless people only, but basically anyone they felt like targeting.
„All three of them are young guys who have been getting ready to do something like this ever since they were little. It doesn’t even really surprise me. The oldest assailant is from a broken home and his mother evidently couldn’t manage him. He’s done whatever he wanted. Everyone knew they had been in conflicts with the homeless people. A year ago they threw stones at them. One of them is also part of a group that attacked me when my wife and I were out for a walk,“ a local resident told news server Romea.cz, who did not want his name published out of fear for his safety.
Other homeless people in the area confirmed the frequent assaults, openly describing the attackers as sympathizers of right-wing extremist movements who have been giving the Nazi salute in the streets. Another local resident also confirms that claim. „They attacked me when I was walking my dog. They sit on the benches here. There are always between two to six of them. They drink cheap wine there. I know they sometimes made racist remarks. Once my neighbor and I walked past them and my neighbor was playing music on his mobile phone. They immediately started assaulting us, they even threatened to punch me. I defended myself verbally, as I instruct my students to do. One of them was older and more heavy-set, the others were younger and smaller. I went to elementary school with one of them, they attended the remedial classes. In my opinion they’re just stupid Nazi wannabes,“ the man told Romea.cz. Continue reading Romani woman murdered in Prague, locals allege perpetrators are Nazis
Shooting of Roma man stokes tensions
Unresolved New Year’s Eve death increases division in North Bohemia
Tanvald, north Bohemia
For the Roma minority of Tanvald, a quiet town of 10,000 in north Bohemia’s Jizerské Mountains, the Jan. 7 burial of 22-year-old Ladislav Tatár required by-the-books organization. Observed by a population fearing retribution for a mysterious New Year’s Eve shooting that left Tatár dead and his older brother injured, community leaders sought to ensure no clashes marred the funeral and memorial march, despite a martial atmosphere that has pervaded the town since the incident.
Tanvald Mayor Petr Polák had summoned national anti-conflict police to prevent the type of ethnic clashes that erupted elsewhere in north Bohemia during the late summer of 2011. These officers looked on as a crowd of 300-plus accompanied Tatár’s coffin to the hilltop cemetery, somberly observing traditional Roma rituals. Six men bore Tatár’s coffin out of the church, knocking it superstitiously against the threshold to ensure the deceased’s soul would not return. Others navigated mourners and supported devastated family members, some of whom lost consciousness during the ceremony.
„A Roma funeral is a serious thing,“ Tatár’s older cousin, Ladislav Husák, later commented. „They thought it might turn into a demonstration, but it was absolutely impossible that anyone’s behavior would be out of line at such an important event, even if what we are dealing with here was basically an execution.“
That word, „execution,“ was a term Tanvald’s Roma community used frequently to describe Tatár’s death, raising the hairs of local officials who fear the tragedy may cause regional ethnic violence to spill over into their small towns. Continue reading Shooting of Roma man stokes tensions
Übergriffe auf Mahnmale für die Ermordeten
Merseburg/Magdeburg – Die Gedenkstele für die von den Nazis im Vernichtunglager Auschwitz-Birkenau ermordeten Sinti und Roma im sachsen-anhaltinischen Merseburg wurde innerhalb von knapp zwei Jahren sieben Mal geschändet.
Zuletzt spuckte am Neujahrstag ein 19-Jähriger trotz installierter Videokamera auf die Gedenkstele. Am Abend des 30. November 2011 hatten zwei vermummte Männer Hakenkreuze auf die Granitsäule gesprüht. Auch in Magdeburg gibt es immer wieder Übergriffe auf ein Mahnmal für ermordete Sinti und Roma. So wurde das Denkmal der Nacht zum 15. August vergangenen Jahres mit volksverhetzenden Parolen beschmiert.
Quelle: Blick nach rechts
Stand: 09.01.2012