After Czech media storm, Andrej Babiš criticizes the racist remarks by a vice-mayor from his ANO party as "totally unacceptable"
After news server Romea.cz reported on the racist remarks made by Vice-Mayor of Ostrava-Přívoz Alena Pataky (Association of Dissatisfied Citizens - ANO) in an interview for news server Okraj.cz, a wave of criticism was unleashed from experts, politicians and the public. Now her remark about the "genetically different mentality" of the Roma, which Pataky alleges has not changed "since the 13th century", has been called unacceptable by the chair of the ANO movement, Andrej Babiš.
“I don’t understand in the least how anybody can say something of the sort and I fully understand that many people have been hurt by it,” Babiš responded to news server iROZHLAS.cz and to other media outlets when asked for comment. At the same time he emphasized that his movement has long fought prejudices and that he regularly meets with Romani organizations himself.
“She is supporting the prejudices against which I have long been doing my best to fight. I regularly meet with various Romani organizations myself and it might be fine if this lady tried it, too. Then she certainly wouldn’t say such stupid things,” added Babiš, calling her remarks unacceptable.
Pataky: I’m willing to apologize, but that interview did not reflect everything I said
The vice-mayor has told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) that she perceives the situation to be very unfortunate. According to her, she has been enthusiastically dedicating herself to her work for years, knows the Romani community, and encounters them not just in the schools, but also at different events.
“Some of those moments were actually unfortunate,” Pataky said. According to her, the interview does not include what she said about what the municipal department is doing for socially excluded areas and for Romani children.
“I am awfully sorry, I’m willing to apologize to anybody who has been hurt by this, naturally. I’m awfully sorry that it sounded like that,” added Pataky.
Journalist: This politician had an opportunity to approve this interview
However, according to the author of the interview for news server Okraj.cz, Simona Janíková, the politician had an opportunity to see the final version of the interview several days before it was published. “On the basis of our mutual agreement with Mrs. Pataky, I sent her the interview for her to review, many days before publication,” the journalist posted to X.
Janíková said that her original plan had been to get information for an analysis of the education of Romani people in Ostrava. “I originally sought the interview with Alena Pataky for an analysis of the education of Romani people in Ostrava. However, ultimately we decided to publish the question/answer version of it, because we at Okraj.cz believe it is in the public interest to publish the opinions of the vice-mayor in charge of the schools,” the journalist explained, adding that she decided to interview the vice-mayor after serious information was revealed to her in other interviews about the problematic approach of the municipal department of Přívoz and some local schools toward desegregation.
Mayor Veselka: We have to discuss these remarks, Pataky must explain herself
The entire matter is now being reviewed by the leadership of the municipal department, which is going to demand the vice-mayor explain her remarks. “In her first reaction, she told me that it wasn’t all meant the way it’s written. I disagree with many things written there. However, we have to discuss it. She will have to explain what she meant to us,” the Mayor of the Municipal Department of Moravská Ostrava and Přívoz Petr Veselka (ANO) told iROZHLAS.cz.
Veselka added that the leadership will meet Monday morning to discuss the subject. Pataky’s remarks are also being criticized by the Vice-Mayor for Education in Ostrava, Andrea Hoffmannová (Pirates).
“I believe that in western countries such a remark should be unacceptable for a politician and she should probably resign on her own. It seems unacceptable to me that anybody would speak this way in the 21st century, to say nothing of a politician,” Hoffmannová said.
The Vice-Mayor for Education in Ostrava also said that in her view, that municipal department is not cooperating very much with the city when it comes to the schools. “In Moravská Ostrava the cooperation is not as ideal as it is, for instance, in Poruba or Jih. I would be glad if these reactions were to motivate the municipal department to cooperate more with the city, because we’ve been offering them tools for how to aid children and families and how to assist teachers with addressing the situation of school failure. Unfortunately, for at least the last six years our recommendations have not been accepted by Moravská Ostrava and they are not totally cooperating,” Hoffmannová said.
According to Hoffmannová, the city has been offering many tools for how to aid schools in localities that are more problematic to municipal departments in their role as school establishers.
