Czech Republic: Prominent civic activists resign from Roma Council in response to the normalisation of racist rhetoric
08 January 2026
Following the new year resignations of David Tišer and Gwendolyn Albert from the Czech government advisory body on Roma issues, Gwendolyn spoke with ERRC News about the political context behind their decision.
In their joint statement to the news outlet Romea.cz, the two volunteer civil society members of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs stated that their resignations were prompted by political developments which openly cast doubt on commitments to basic principles of equality and human rights, and rhetoric which relativises anti-Roma racism: “To remain on the Council under such circumstances implies participation in maintaining the appearance of functionality for a body that in reality lacks the ability to promote systemic solutions, lacks authority, and lacks influence.”
Gwendolyn, who has been a volunteer civil society member of the Council since September 2020, asserted that both herself and David Tišer, will continue to be active in civil society, where they reckon there is more space for ‘effective and meaningful work’ to promote dignity, equality and minority rights protection. She has recently authored a wide-ranging report on antigypsyism in the Czech Republic, which was published in December 2025.
Have there been difficult challenges before within the Council, or has the current situation turned out to be the ‘worst of times’?
The biggest challenges during my time on the Council were the death of Stanislav Tomáš in police custody in 2021; the discrimination against Romani Ukrainians seeking temporary protection following Russia's full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022; the interethnic tensions and violence between some Romani people and some Ukrainians; and the discouraging inability of anybody in power to correct the Czech Health Ministry's flawed handling of the ongoing compensation process for those who have been forcibly sterilized.
However, since the October 2025 elections and the appointment of the new cabinet in December, it is the cabinet itself that I see as incompatible with the promotion of equality. It has shifted too far to the right and brought anti-democratic, pro-Russian forces into power who do not understand the first thing about human rights and who believe the rule of law should not apply to them.
Which are the political entities that cast doubt on commitments to basic principles of equality and human rights?
The political entities which are the most unacceptable are, first and foremost, the two extremist parties now in the cabinet: The Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement, which is anti-EU, antigypsyist, anti-immigration, nationalist, neo-fascist, racist, and right-wing populist; and the Motorists for Themselves movement, which is anti-environmentalist, bought and paid for by the fossil fuel lobby, and has as its "honorary chair" a celebrity who has celebrated neo-Nazi violence targeting Romani people in particular, Filip Turek.
The ruling Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) movement cemented its rightward slide when it joined the Patriots for Europe group after the European Parliament elections. In my opinion, it has made an enormous mistake in bringing the extremist movements into power with it, and abandoning any pretence of being centrist.
You describe this negative anti-democratic development as a gradual process. How long has this been going on? What have been the most critical moments?
The biggest failing of the Czech political system has been the fact that the billionaire leader of ANO (Andrej Babiš) has evaded political responsibility with regard to the many allegations of conflict of interest and controversy which have dogged him over the years: his cooperation with the Czechoslovak communist secret police, his being named in the Pandora Papers leak, the fact that he is considered by serious analysts to be an agent of influence for Putin's Russia despite his protestations to the contrary, the allegations of EU subsidy fraud which have yet to be resolved by the Czech courts despite eight years of litigation, the allegations of interfering with the editorial independence of the media outlets owned by his trust. He has also been increasingly embracing mimicry of Trump. It has been very clear that his pursuit of political power is purely in his own self-interest so he can continue to evade the kind of accountability that would cost him, financially, and his choice of coalition partners was motivated by his desire to evade accountability.
Was there a ‘last straw’ moment that provoked your resignation, or was this just the culmination of circumstances that made it impossible to continue?
The Czech Police have asked Parliament to strip both Babiš and SPD chair Tomio Okamura, of their immunity from prosecution on different charges (in Babiš case, the unresolved subsidy fraud charges, in Okamura's, charges of incitement to defamation), and the ANO's coalition agreement with the SPD and the Motorists is to make sure neither man is prosecuted, sort of a mutually assured destruction scenario. That, for me personally, was the last straw.
The crux of the issue you identify as the normalisation of political rhetoric that relativises racism, strengthens social tolerance for anti-Roma hatred, and supports xenophobia. Where does the upcoming appointment of Filip Turek to lead the Environment Ministry fit into this scenario?
The proposed nomination of Turek to the cabinet is a prime example of the minimisation and therefore normalisation of the kind of antigypsyist, hateful rhetoric we have condemned here for decades. No political party that genuinely believes in democracy should have anything to do with Turek, but just today Babiš has said he deserves a "second chance" to "atone" for his past - or in other words, he deserves appointment to the cabinet! This is, of course, ludicrous.
I have to stress that even during the previous administration it was never easy to negotiate with some members of the cabinet or heads of official agencies when it comes to the issue of Romani participation - you can see the ongoing discussion on Romea.cz about how hard it is to find a common understanding on this issue with the Agency for Social Inclusion. There is, however, no doubt in my mind that the real decision-maker in the current administration is not motivated by a principled commitment to democracy, human rights, or the rule of law in the slightest.
What’s it going to take to turn back this ’normalisation’ of hate?
Turning back the belittling, the excusing, or the normalisation of bigoted hate will take a lot of civic activism, and that is already well underway. Czech civil society is strong and I believe pro-democratic forces will prevail here.
