Czech Police assess racist insults shouted at journalist of Romani origin as a misdemeanor
Police in the Czech Republic have assessed the racist insults shouted at Czech Television reporter Richard Samko during a demonstration against the public broadcaster organized on 17 November by Ladislav Vrábel as a misdemeanor. They have transferred the case to the Office of the Municipal Department of Prague 1 for settlement.
According to police, the person who shouted the insults faces a fine of up to CZK 20,000 [EUR 825] if convicted. “The verbal assault on the Czech Television reporter has been assessed by police officers as a misdemeanor against civil coexistence and the officers have reported it to the Office of the Municipal Department of Prague 1. The fine for such behavior could be as high as CZK 20,000,” the Czech Police have tweeted.
“Hey, that bastard over there, dude, the gypsy one, dude. You’re here with us today, yeah?” can be heard on a video produced by Afrique Média of protesters lining up on Opletalova Street near the main railway station in Prague ahead of their march.
“Thanks for calling me that,” Samko responded, after which he faced further insults and threats from a demonstrator. The man subsequently apologized to Samko, but simultaneously said he does not consider the word “gypsy” (cikán) to be derogatory.
Police have already transferred the case of an assault committed against Aktuálně.cz journalist Radek Bartoníček that same day for handling as a misdemeanor as well. One day after the protest, the news server published a video showing what had happened around their reporter.
Bartoníček said he had been mapping what was going on at the demonstration, interviewing people and filming the march while facing it when some individuals attempted to physically remove him from that vantage point in front of the procession even though he was not preventing anybody’s movements, according to him. The Aktuálně.cz editors issued a statement objecting to the idea that individual journalists or the media in general might be perceived as representatives of any side of the disputes about which they independently report.
The protest against Czech Television and the Government was held on 17 November, the anniversary of the Nazi assassination of students who protested against them in 1939 and the pro-democracy protests of 1989, and was attended by thousands of people. Demonstrators walked through Prague to the Czech Television building in the Kavčí hory neighborhood.
