Czech collection established to aid family of Romani arson victim after two neo-Nazi arsonists' early release from prison
Czech anti-corruption campaigner Karel Janeček's foundation, in response to the early release from prison of two of the Vítkov arsonists, has established a collection called "We Stand With Natálka" ("Stojíme za Natálkou"). The aim is not just to aid the family of arson victim Natálka, but also to draw attention to the general lack of systemic support for the victims of serious crime in the Czech Republic.
“The scandal of the arsonists from Vítkov has a society-wide impact and affects more than just the entire Romani community. At this moment there is a need to support the family of Natálka so that she will better overcome this burdensome, psychologically demanding situation,” reads the message on the Znesnáze21.cz portal through which people can donate to financially support the family.
“Our contributions not only financially support the family, but also point out the lack of systemic support for the victims of such serious crimes,” the foundation explains. “Natálka has long lived in isolation and spent her childhood in hospitals. What makes her happy today? The opportunity to dance with friends. She dreams of travelling and performing with her own dance group. Dance gives her self-confidence and the joy of spending time with other girls from a dance ensemble in the Opava area. The proceeds of the collection will be used exactly for recreational activities, psychosocial support, and other activities which will support the entire family.”
The collection’s patrons are Czech Government Commissioner for Romani Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková and Kumar Vishwanathan, director and founder of the Life Together (Vzájemně soužití) NGO which has aided the family targeted by the 2009 neo-Nazi attack from the beginning.
“A few days ago two of the men who ruined Natálie Kudriková’s life and that of her family were released from prison. Memories of their horrific crime, which affected all of society and the Romani community, returned to the public space. This case also revealed how we lack systematic aid for the victims of such serious crimes in this country,” Fuková posted to social media.
“For that reason, Kumar Vishwanathan and I have become patrons of the ‘Stojíme za Natálkou‘ [We Stand With Natálka‘] collection to aid the family of this girl. This assistance has been communicated with the family and is based on their own needs. Please contribute and spread the word,” Fuková said.
Fuková, the director of the In IUSTITIA NGO Klára Kalibová, and Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner Klára Laurenčíková are now beginning negotiations with the Czech Justice Ministry and looking for steps to take which could lead to effective support for the victims of such serious crimes. Those looking to contribute can also join the aid effort for the family of Natálie by bidding in the auction of a painting by fine artist Antonín Vojtek and his wife Jitka Vojteková of Galerie 99.
The painting is a rendering of a tree that was first drawn by Vojtek and then added to by community members during the celebrations of International Romani Day, when they painted its leaves in different shades of color. The auction is organized by the IQ Roma servis Břeclav organization under the patronage of Patrik Banga, a recent winner of the Magnezia Litera prize for his autobiography.
The court’s decision to release two of the four convicted neo-Nazis shocked the family of arson victim Natálie. “I feel sick,” Anna Siváková, the mother of the burn victim, told news server Romea.cz.
“We’re absolutely in shock. My children are afraid. When they learned the news, they said they want to move away,” Siváková said in tears.
“Natálka is lying in bed and saying nothing,” her mother described, adding that she was not doing well psychologically. “She doesn’t want to go anywhere, she’s telling me she has suffered enough already. We had to tell her the truth about how it all happened.”
While the arsonists Václav Cojocaru and Ivo Müller are now free, the other two neo-Nazis involved, Jaromír Lukeš and David Vaculík, are still behind bars. They are serving stricter sentences of 22 years, which means the opportunity for them to be paroled will arise once they have served two-thirds of their sentences, i.e., once they have been behind bars for 14.5 years.
The four men attacked the home of the relatively large Romani family during the late night hours of 18 April and early morning hours of 19 April 2009 by throwing Molotov cocktails through the windows. The house caught fire immediately.
Three people were harmed, but Natálie, who was not yet two years old at the time, was most seriously hurt. She suffered burns over 80 % of her body and lost three fingers.
According to experts, all four of the convicted men were active neo-Nazis in North Moravia who had succumbed to that ideology. In the original verdict the court also referenced the fact that they had apparently organized the whole action to mark the birthday of Adolf Hitler.
