Czech Police apprehend producer of video threatening Romani people with violence in Písek, say he regrets making it and is not organizing an assembly today
Police have tracked down the producer of a threatening video that spread on Czech-language social media and sparked fears among Romani residents of Písek. Detectives have already spoken with the young man responsible and say that he claims he did not realize the repercussions of his behavior.
According to police, the culprit regrets what he did and does not intend to either organize or participate in any kind of assembly. The case started after a video was posted to the TikTok social media platform in which the young neo-Nazi threatened to physically assault Romani people.
The video featured remarks about “purging Písek“ and called for violence against Romani people. In it, an extremist group claims dozens of its people will be traveling there to commit violence.
Romani social media users in the Czech Republic quickly shared the video, which sparked fears for their safety. According to police spokesperson Lenka Krausová, police officers have already tracked down the main actor from the video and have interrogated him.
“Detectives from Písek have already spoken with the producer of the video that appeared on social media calling for a march on Monday in Písek. The man’s statements to police revealed that he never thought through the repercussions of this behavior and that he now regrets the whole situation. He claims he does not intend to participate in any such assembly now, nor does he intend to organize one. Detectives will continue to process the case of this young man’s behavior to establish its legal classification,” Krausová told news server Romea.cz.
Despite the police statement, the Romani residents of Písek are still afraid. On Czech-language social media, calls to mobilize continue to spread and some Romani people are considering holding their own assembly now.
However, Michal Mižigár, a Romani resident of Písek, is calling for calm and warning against premature reactions. “Romale, please be patient. Let’s not allow ourselves to be intimidated by the provocateurs from TikTok, let’s prevent confusion,” he posted to social media.
Police are still monitoring the situation in Písek and taking measures to ensure public order there. It will become clear in the next few days whether the young man’s behavior will be classified as a felony or a misdemeanor.
News server Romea.cz. is following developments in the situation.
