Czech Republic: Birth of Roma quintuplets prompts hate online
A wave of racist hate has been expressed against the Romani parents of newborn quintuplets and those assisting them in the Czech Republic. The response is most apparent online, either in discussion posts responding to mainstream news articles about the safe delivery of the children, or in comments posted to social networking sites.
A Facebook page entited "The Nation at Risk" (Národ v ohorožení), which celebrates the neo-Nazi National Resistance group and other racists, has published a photograph of the mother of the quintuplets with the following inscription: "I never finished primary school. I have one brat at home and another five about to hatch… That’s a lot of welfare! :)"
"Back to India, you parasites"
An article about the quintuplets published on news server Romea.cz was also attacked with hateful commentary. The most frequently expressed opinion was that the taxpayers would be burdened by the children, as well as the usual opinion that Romani people should be deported "back" to India, as the ultra-right National Party once included in its political program.
Administrators of mainstream news server iDNES.cz also had a great deal of work on their hands removing the many racist commentaries posted beneath their news items about the quintuplets. On 1 June they ran out of patience and moved to a moderated discussion format for those articles, which means all comments must be pre-approved by administrators before being posted.
Up until then the discussions on iDNES.cz most often featured envious remarks about how much welfare the parents would draw. This speculation was meant to serve as "proof" that taxpayers pay for all Romani people. Claims were made that both the parents and the quintuplets are "parasites" and that "brown Czechs" had been born who would "never work a day in their lives".
Racist commentators on iDNES.cz also made sure to give negative ratings to messages congratulating the mother on the birth of her children. One positive post read as follows: "I wish the whole ‘clan’ much health and joy and I hope the state will not only benefit from their fame but will also show its generosity!" This received a readership rating of +52/−91 (52 visitors agreed with this comment and 91 disagreed).
One reader wrote the following message to the racists: "When I read the vomit posted here by so-called ‘normal people’, I ask myself: Who is worse? The Gypsies, or this band of chauvinist, hateful defects? The answer is clear. There are far more of the white scumbags and they represent a far greater danger for me personally and for society through their hate, their narrow-mindedness, and their pettiness. I wish the kids and the entire family robust health and mainly steady nerves. To have six little tykes at once will be a yoke around your necks for the rest of your life, especially when you will be forced to deal with the hatred and jealousy of the so-called ‘decent and honest people’ around you. My fingers are crossed for you."
Gift earns curses
The Daniela company donated two prams to the parents of the quintuplets and experienced racist persecution for their generosity. Posts to the firm’s Facebook page were so hateful that owner Daniela Caltová had to erase them all.
"First I was surprised, and then I was very sad. It has ruined the past few days for me to see how detestably some people can behave. They curse the parents of the quintuplets and us and threaten to boycott our company," Caltová told news server Romea.cz.
Caltová has posted the following to her Facebook page: "This is my response to the fact that we dared to donate some prams (and to ‘gypsies’ no less). After our gift was reported, we found ourselves in the vortex of a storm – or rather, two storms. People posted comments online, sent us e-mails, and made phone calls. The first storm was the response of those who agreed with us, and the second, as is customary, was a hateful and rejecting response. We thank everyone VERY much for that first storm, we appreciate all of the positive reactions and praise them. We all know that these parents did not plan to have five more children in their lives and that the rest of their lives will be strongly influenced by these births. There will probably never be enough strength and support for them. As for the second storm, we VERY much regret it. What were the most frequent ‘arguments’ made by this second group of commentators? ‘Why are you giving them something and not me, I’m expecting a child (or children) and I also want a free pram, you’re giving it to them with my money because I bought a pram from you,’ etc., etc. Well just as we don’t tell you what to do you with your money, don’t interfere with what we do with ours. We contribute to your budgets by paying hundreds of thousands of crowns in taxes annually, and the state uses our money to contribute toward various benefits and lower costs for your children."
Caltová also published the following information to her Facebook page: The Czech-Moravian Association of the Clubs of Twins, Triplets and More has established a transparent account to aid the mother of the quintuplets. All contributions are welcome. The account number is 211620293/0600.
Even after the erasure of the hateful contributions from the Daniela Facebook page, more were posted beneath Caltová’s remarks above, as follows:
"They get everything, as we can see, so why should the gentleman have to take care of anything… and as for a nigger having four jobs? That’s a good joke."
"Unfortunately the pigs these brats will grow into will make life unpleasant for normal people…."
"You’re funny – that man has four jobs, really? 😀 I doubt he’ll go to even one … we really are a dense nation! Just give them everything! I believe none of you realize that this is our nation. Why should ‘those citizens’ have more of a right to enroll in nursery schools and get reimbursed for the money they spend on school supplies?? Is that woman needy?… She can’t afford about five of those children, do you know how many women are in need and get nothing?! To top it all off, you are cheekily posting that bank account number? That’s got to be a joke, right?… This is a nation of knuckleheads – one day you will be surprised!"
"I never wrote… that you are giving things only to the gypsies, … but be that as it may… I don’t envy her… not at all… it just bothers me that this was publicized… how many people have four children and no one helps them… how many people have disabled children and are viewed by others as social cases and spongers… who helps them?? No one… that lady didn’t have anything ready for her children… that’s what gets me… this is just her move to get someone else to care for them."
"Five more smokes"
News server Novinky.cz permitted the following discussion posts even after erasing the very worst ones:
"My mom also turned the shade of a loafer after going to the solarium, as did my dad after a long vacation at the sea. This is a national tragedy."
"Too bad the mom didn’t give birth at home alone in that one-bedroom apartment."
"When I saw the woman about to give birth it was immediately clear to me what kind of female could produce that sort of litter. This does not make me happy, because we all will be supporting those children… they will never want for anything!"
"Question: Can someone please explain to me why these are being called CZECH quintuplets? Thanks.
Answer: The mother and father are Czechs and the children were born in the Czech Republic.
Response to the answer: That’s no argument. The mother and father are Romani and therefore these should be ROMANI quintuplets. You can dislike me all you want, but I suspect it doesn’t even bother you that you will be supporting these cola-colored kids. Essentially you all are supporting them already, right now. Who is paying CZK 100 per day for the mother’s two-month stay in the hospital?? I hope you are not so naive to believe the mother is paying for that herself.
Response to the response: Madam, wouldn’t you also have to help support any other Czech quintuplets? The parents did not choose to have quintuplets. They were conceived naturally. Read something about them before you cast judgment. The father works and the mother has taken proper care of her first child. What more can you want?
Response: The father works? Don’t curse him, work is a bad word [for Romani people].
Response: Why the hell should I care about these bastards?
Response: I won’t be watching the news on TV Roma for some time now!!
Response: I’m not glad at all, these are just more muggers.
Response: Their fair [fighting] style of five against one starts at birth 🙁
Response: For pensioners who worked their whole lives and paid taxes, etc., there is no money, but for support and all kinds of welfare for lifelong inadaptable loafers there is money. That’s the real discrimination.
Response: They should restrain themselves a bit, otherwise we’ll never be able to support them.
Response: Please, no new Roma. Do you know how much this costs the taxpayers?
Response: The most important thing is that this not be contagious…."
One reader of Novinky.cz couldn’t take the onslaught of envy and hate and wrote the following: "The father works, the family therefore is not on welfare, and the mother pays regular fees like any other. The father and mother have Czech nationality listed in their identification cards and the quintuplets are therefore Czech. We will contribute towards these children until they are 18 years old just as we might contribute towards any white quintuplets. Didn’t it ever occur to any of you that instead of hatred for these Roma who have managed to integrate they should be receiving admiration and being seen as a positive example for everyone else? This way everyone sees that whatever efforts they make, they will end up as the targets of hatred all the same. This family wanted a second child five years after the first was born, they didn’t choose to have quintuplets. They both work. I don’t see any difference between them and a standard white family."
Here are some of the comments that made it onto mainstream news server Týden.cz:
"The fact that they are identical doesn’t change the fact that this is five smokes more!!!"
"I hope the other gypsies copy this prescription so the next pillar of support for future pensioners will be taken care of. They’ll be able to retire at 50, such a big labor force will have no problem supporting them. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 :-))))))))))"
"A Czech family – well, it is and it isn’t. I think it definitely is not a classic one :-)."
"So, we have another five black freeloaders here. I’m sure they will become clients of the Labor Office, the Prison Services, and the Welfare Department!!!"
"The parents don’t look very black. Otherwise, once half a million Arabs crowd in here, we will all remember what decent, nice people the gypsies were."
Mainstream news server Aktuálně.cz posted the following message: "Dear readers, given the level of the discussion beneath this article we have been forced to close it. We apologize to all of you who contributed comments in a polite way and who expressed yourselves directly regarding the topic of the article. We believe you understand why we have had to take this step. Your Editors."
Mainstream news server iHNED.cz also posted the following message: "The discussion beneath the article about the birth of the quintuplets has been closed. No more discussion contributions can be posted."
