Czech Minister for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation Jiří Dienstbier (Czech Social Democrats – ČSSD) says the problem of the northern Bohemian town of Duchcov, where last year’s attack on a married couple sparked anti-Romani sentiment, is the difficult communication between a local nonprofit organization and the town hall. The minister is scheduled to visit the towns of Kadaň and Krupka today as well.
Just as he did in Duchcov, the minister wants to speak with mayors in each town. "I want to see the situation for myself and speak with representatives of both the municipalities and the nonprofit organizations because their perspectives might be very different," Dienstbier told journalists after visiting Duchcov.
Last year several Romani people brutally assaulted a non-Romani married couple on the street in Duchcov. The incident sparked anti-Romani sentiment there.
In March a court sentenced five people for their involvement in the attack to anywhere between a year on probation to three years in prison. The court also ruled that the assault was not racially motivated.
The incident led to a series of demonstrations by locals, with an event last June organized by the ultra-right Workers’ Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti – DSSS) resulting in harsh clashes between demonstrators and police. "Demonstrations will not solve anything. To begin with, we must have the feeling that we all have the same rights and responsibilities. It seems to me that this is not always the case," said the Mayor of Duchcov, Jitka Bártová (Chance for Duchcov – Šance pro Duchcov) after meeting with Dienstbier.
The minister said that proper integration should improve the lives of the majority society as well as the socially vulnerable. In an effort to prevent crimes and misdemeanors, the town has since arranged for four crime prevention assistants to work there.
Bártová said she believes the security situation in Duchcov has improved, but also said today that she feels it is just the "calm before the storm". The Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion ceased cooperation with Duchcov in 2011 after the town decided to privatize buildings in the localities of South Duchcov and Viktorina.
The Agency believes the town hall has now lost any influence over the composition of the population of these localities, depriving itself "of a tool" for working with families who abide by the rules and could improve the situation there. The mayor, however, said today that the Agency’s concerns had not come to pass.
"Their staffers were offended that we only took note of their proposals without adopting them, so they left," she said. Dienstbier said there is a need to evaluate whether the Agency is an effective tool overall.
The minister believes that problems with social inclusion in Duchcov are not being dealt with much. "We discussed options for how the government could help, what the tools could be," the minister said, adding that future consultations will follow.
"I felt the need to explain my perspective on the situation in Duchcov to the minister. I think he did his best to understand me," Mayor Bártová said.
Communication between the local Květina civic association, which runs a drop-on facility, and the town hall apparently does not function. "We differ in our opinions on what the right ratio between preventive measures and repressive ones is," said Veronika Klaus Horčíková, a social worker with the center.
According to the mayor, repressive measures are a logical consequence of lawbreaking and there is no point in negotiating with the association because it announced it would be leaving Duchcov at the end of the year. "We are concerned that after the municipal elections in the fall, the situation at the town hall will be even worse," said Horčíková.
