Concerted Effort Needed by National and International Authorities to End Rising Tension in the Czech Republic

31 August 2011

Budapest, 31 August 2011: Yesterday, the ERRC sent a series of letters to Czech and international authorities in response to rising ethnic tensions in the Northern Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. In a letter addressed to Czech authorities in the region, the ERRC noted that although a number of special police units have been deployed to the region, this was not sufficient to respond effectively to the 26 August anti-Roma march by nearly 1,000 local residents and rightwing extremists which ended in an attack on several Romani homes. Recalling that further anti-Roma marches have been announced for 3 and 10 September involving rightwing groups and the Czech Workers’ Party, the ERRC called on Czech authorities to deploy mediators to address growing ethnic tensions through non-violent means, to deploy an adequate number of police officers to prevent anti-Romani violence, to re-route any march planned near local Romani neighbourhoods and to prosecute all persons found to be responsible for anti-Roma violence. The ERRC also addressed European Union, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and United Nations human rights watchdogs to monitor, through site visits, anti-Roma marches planned in the coming weeks in the Czech Republic and to encourage and monitor the investigation and prosecution of all perpetrators of anti-Roma violence by Czech authorities.

For further information contact:

Sinan Gökçen
ERRC Media and Communications Officer
sinan.gokcen@errc.org
+36.30.500.1324

donate

Challenge discrimination, promote equality

Subscribe

Receive our public announcements Receive our Roma Rights Journal

News

The latest Roma Rights news and content online

join us

Find out how you can join or support our activities