Czech Police charge two juvenile girls who assaulted Romani girl in Hodonín with felonies, three more face juvenile court, social media threats investigated too
In the case of the February assault on a 12-year-old girl in Hodonín, Czech Republic, detectives have charged two juvenile girls with attempted battery and rioting, one of whom is also charged with extortion. Another three girls under the age of 15 will face juvenile court proceedings for their behavior.
Five other adolescents and children were placed under child welfare investigation due to the lesser intensity of their actions. According to police findings, the girl was physically assaulted at the beginning of February by a group of girls.
Video footage of the incident was published soon thereafter showing the assailants pulling the girl’s hair, slapping her, and spitting on her. The recording was even shared on social media by the mother of the victim, who warned that her daughter had been bullied for a long time and that the school has been ignoring the situation, in her view.
“Detectives in Hodonín have completed their investigation of the February incident among schoolgirls. Two juvenile girls were charged with committing the offense of attempted battery and rioting. One young lady is also charged with extortion,” Pavel Šváb posted to the police website.
“Another three girls under the age of 15 will also be charged with attempted battery and rioting,” Šváb posted, adding that a juvenile court will be able to take measures against those particular defendants. “During the investigation the actions of five other juvenile and minor persons were discovered and reported to the relevant Child Welfare Department due to their lower level of intensity.”
Police also investigated communications on social media related to the assault. They recorded a total of five instances of threats made in the virtual space.
Attacks motivated by bias are both very serious and frequently ignored. Have you ever been the victim of bias crime in the Czech Republic? Call the free phone line of the In IUSTITIA organization, 800 922 922, or contact the ROMEA, o.p.s. organization.
In one of those cases, the parent of one of the instigators will also be held responsible for illegal behavior. Police have investigated the assault on the girl since the start of February as suspected attempted battery, extortion, and rioting.
Detectives gradually determined who was involved in the conflict, a group of roughly 20 people. They then investigated the communications and reactions on social media as possible felony threats.
The assaulted girl’s mother previously said her daughter had been bullied for a longer time and that the school was ignoring the behavior. According to her, some of the abuse also had a racial subtext because her daughter is Romani.
Andrej Pavlíků, principal of the Vančurova Primary School, said previously that he had no idea something of the sort could happen outside the school. In addition to the police investigation, the assault was independently investigated by the Czech School Inspectorate, which concluded that the principal proved he had responded to all of the mother’s suggestions regarding the bullying and that the educational counseling facility had properly investigated it.
The Inspectorate said that from late October 2023 to the start of January 2025 the school had not received any suggestions that bullying was suspected.
