Brno, Czech Republic: Foreign national stabs people over music, one young man is dead
On Saturday evening tragedy struck in Brno-Bystrc near the Přístaviště tram stop. Several people got into an argument that escalated into a scuffle during which a foreign national attacked two men with a knife.
One of the victims later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. According to news server Romea.cz, the deceased is a 23-year-old Romani man.
Extremists are already doing their best to exploit the news. According to police spokesperson Petr Vala, the crime was perpetrated just before 20:00 CET and the injured men had to be transported to hospital with stab wounds.
“One victim died later in hospital. The assailant was arrested by officers on the scene and jailed. He is a foreign national suspected of the especially serious crime of murder,” Vala said in a press release.
Detectives are also asking the public to aid their investigation. “If you witnessed this assault, or if you know what preceded it, call 158 immediately. Police officers also welcome any video recordings of the scuffle that may have been taken with mobile phones,” Vala said.
The Brno Reservoir was setting off fireworks as part of the traditional Ignis Brunensis show Saturday night, which was attended by several thousands of people. According to information obtained by Romea.cz, the conflict started on a tram, where a group of foreign nationals disliked the music being played by a group of young people; both groups exited at the same stop, where the conflict continued.
Hateful reactions to information that the murderer was a Ukrainian man
The assailant is said to be from Ukraine, according to information spreading on social media. Michal Janotka, an anchor and reporter for CNN Prima News and a crime reporter for Prima TV, posted that information to Facebook, for example.
“An Eastern European foreign national, according to our information from Ukraine, is said to have stabbed several people yesterday near the Brno Reservoir. A 23-year-old young man did not survive being attacked… The reason? Allegedly the perpetrator didn’t like the music being listened to by a small group of people on the tram,” the journalist posted.
That post immediately sparked many hateful, xenophobic reactions toward Ukrainians in general. Xenophobic posts appeared beneath different videos being broadcast live on social media.
Jaroslav Miko: We can’t apply blame collectively, such a principle is primitive
Romani activist Jaroslav Miko responded to the hateful posts, warning that collective guilt, as a principle, cannot be applied. “Even if this thug was from Ukraine, we can’t apply blame collectively, such a principle is primitive,” he said.
“We cannot judge the actions of an individual as implying the collective guilt of an entire nation. That kind of collective guilt is what we Roma experience from the mainstream majority society all the time. Let’s not be like them,” Miko posted beneath a live broadcast on social media by Viliam Patai.
A remembrance site was created on Sunday night at the murder spot. People are bringing candles and flowers there.
Extremists do their best to exploit the tragedy
Anti-system political parties are doing their best to exploit this tragedy. Petra Rédová of the PRO (Právo Respekt Odbornost – “Law Respect Expertise”) party, led by Jindřich Rajchl, turned up at the remembrance site, for example.
Rédová started negotiating with some of the Romani people who were at the remembrance site about holding a demonstration “for security”. Czech Senator Jana Zwyrtek Hamplová, who recently openly called for Romani children to be segregated in the schools, commented on the news as follows: “The current Government is turning our country into a dangerous place to live through the uncontrolled influx of people from the east.”
Tomáš Vandas, the chair of the extreme-right Workers’ Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti – DSSS), exploited the news of the murder to attack Czech President Petr Pavel. “It would also be good to inform us where this foreigner is from. According to information that has yet to be verified, this was a Ukrainian. Will Agent Pavel receive the bereaved family at the Castle?” posted Vandas, who is infamous for his systematic rhetorical attacks against Romani people.
