Czech Govt Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Fuková introduces Charter against Antigypsyism, is the ombudsman on board?

All those involved should then contribute to the elimination of anti-Romani sentiment. Czech Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková announced the new initiative at Hrzánský Palace in Prague during an event called Roma Day.

Czech Public Defender of Rights Stanislav Křeček said during the event that antigypsyism does not cover any and all behavior and that [non-Romani] citizens are sometimes just protecting order, the peace, and their own rights when they criticize Romani people. Representatives of Romani organizations objected to the ombudsman’s remarks and any generalized condemnation of an entire minority on the basis of the behavior of some individuals.

A non-binding definition of antigypsyism was adopted by the cabinet in the spring, followed by the Senate adopting its own definition. Antigypsyism is the discriminatory approaches, behavior and speech undertaken by either individuals or institutions toward Romani people.

Antigypsyism leads to exclusion, to the devaluation of Romani culture, and to physical violence or hate speech against those considered “Gypsies”. They are treated as a divergent group from the rest of society.

Distorted ideas and insulting stereotypes which are racist are associated with the members of that divergent group. According to the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs, displays of antigypsyism include approving of or denying the persecution and extermination of Romani people, inciting hatred of Romani people, forcibly sterilizing Romani people, fabricating accusations against Romani people, spreading prejudices about the allegedly criminal tendencies of Romani people, and using “Gypsy” as a term of abuse.

Institutions, nonprofit organizations, schools: Who can join the Charter against Antigypsyism, which is for society as a whole?

According to Fuková, the Charter against Antigypsyism could contribute to dismantling anti-Romani attitudes. Those who can join it include institutions, local governments, nonprofit organizations, Romani individuals and schools.

“Through this Charter, we want to bring together various institutions, organizations and projects which will unequivocally support the struggle against antigypsyism. We want to raise awareness in society about what antigypsyism basically is and make it clear that we will not tolerate it,” the Commissioner told news server Romea.cz.

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According to Fuková, those signing the Charter will pledge to actively bring attention to the culture and history of the Roma and to historical moments of importance which are fundamentally significant to the Romani nation. Part of those obligations will include, for example, flying the Romani flag on important days linked to the culture and history of the Roma.

The Charter against Antigypsyism targets society as a whole, Fuková said. “The Charter against Antigypsyism is not about Romani people, but is basically about our society. Its aim is to eliminate stereotypes which persist in society and to spread awareness about their harmfulness. We will share experiences which are both positive and negative and create an environment that will be ‘Roma friendly’,“ she explained.

Fuková said another important point is the ability to recognize antigypsyism. One of the most frequent manifestations of antigypsyism is collective guilt.

“Accusations which are collective in nature are always associated with xenophobia, racism, antigypsyism, antisemitism. Whenever you feel you have been categorized as a member of a group and that you are not being assessed as an individual for your own steps, but for the behavior of others in the group who might have been involved in some mischief, that is a clear form of discrimination. It is unequivocally wrong,” Fuková warned.

Ombudsman Křeček: Not all negative behavior toward Roma is antigypsyism

However, according to ombudsman Stanislav Křeček, not all negative behavior toward Romani people can be considered antigypsyism. As an example, he mentioned the case of the doctor in Aš who refused to register Romani patients.

Křeček said the doctor posted her sign announcing she would no longer register Roma because of her experience of how Romani people had behaved, not out of hatred for the minority. “Citizens don’t judge some of these excesses as racist, but as part of their protecting their own rights within the framework of peace and order,”he told the meeting.

According to the ombudsman, what some consider racism are just complaints about behavior. The Czech Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs said it is not possible to blame an entire minority for conflictual situations, though.

“There are different conflicts in society and there is hatred of various minorities, we cannot ignore this. Hate breeds more hate,” Fuková said.

In her view, it is also necessary to listen to members of the majority, non-Roma society. “However, if nobody believes that educated Romani people are also followed by security guards in the shops to make sure they won’t steal, or that somebody with the surname Horvátová has a problem finding housing, then we must point that out to them. Unfortunately, we are still living in a society that does not believe Romani people are educated, working, and have clean households,” Fuková said.

Representatives of Romani organizations objected to the ombudsman’s words during the meeting. They rejected collective blame.

There was agreement on the idea that to improve relations and the situation it is necessary to involve Romani people in resolving problems.

Roma Day: Joining forces in the struggle against antigypsyism

The Roma Day was held at Hrzánský Palace by Fuková as an important platform for bringing together representatives of institutions, nonprofit organizations and the Romani community. The aim of the event was not just to strengthen the struggle against antigypsyism, but also to find new avenues of cooperation and specific solutions to persistent problems.

“We decided to hold this Roma Day to thank everybody who contributed to the adoption of the definition of antigypsyism this year. This is also an opportunity to draw attention to the fact that prejudices against Roma persist and that a definition alone is not enough. We must seek specific solutions together,” Fuková told Romea.cz.

The event featured representatives of the American, Austrian, Canadian and Dutch embassies; Irena Moozová, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers at the European Commission; Gabriela Hrabaňová, director of the European Roma Grassroots Organizations Network in Brussels; Czech ombudsman Stanislav Křeček; the former President of Slovakia, Andrej Kiska; and people from the ARA ART, RomanoNet and Slovo 21 organizations. The discussion focused on the European context of the fight against antigypsyism and on innovative projects to aid with the elimination of stereotypes and strengthening mutual understanding.

The meeting ended with a performance by the Loľí růža Romani dance ensemble from Luže, Czech Republic, where active organizing and community work under the leadership of Ivan Červeňák represent an example of good practice in strengthening Romani communities and a textbook example of good coexistence with the majority society.