Czech Police suspend investigation into assault on Romani man, perpetrator remains unidentified and at large
The police have suspended their investigation into the case of a 20-year-old Romani man who was assaulted in November 2024 near a gas station in Náchod. The incident sparked fear for their safety among local Roma and led to a public assembly there.
Detectives investigated the case as possible battery and rioting, but never managed to ascertain the identity of the perpetrator. The attack happened just after 2 AM on Sunday, 3 November 2024 on the Denisovo nábřeží riverside embankment in Náchod.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident started with a verbal exchange which grew into a physical assault involving more than one person. The young Romani man suffered slight injuries, specifically, a laceration to his hand, and was treated in hospital.
Attacks motivated by bias are very serious and frequently ignored. Have you become 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 organization.
The incident received public attention and sparked tensions, partially because distorted information about the incident started to spread through social media. Police informed the public that the attack did not involve a knife and called on the public to be cautious about sharing unverified allegations.
“We suspended the case at the end of last year, we have not managed to establish who the unidentified perpetrator was,” Karolína Macháčková, spokesperson for the Náchod police, told news server iDNES.cz.
Roma demanded security
The assault on the young Romani man sparked fear among the local Romani community about their personal safety and resulted in a peaceful public assembly being held on 9 November on Masarykovo náměstí (Masaryk Square) in Náchod. The event was convened by the grandmother of the victim, who was supported by the Roma spolek Náchod (Romani Society of Náchod).
“One of us has been attacked, he was my grandson, and we hope this will never happen again,” the grandmother of the victim told the assembly. Other speakers stressed that their aim was not to spark ethnic conflict, but to get better security for all local residents.
Some people addressed the assembly who did their best to exploit the situation to spread anti-Ukrainian sentiment, but the Roma who were present sharply objected to their speeches. “Here it’s not about some Ukrainian flag. This is about security, what we’re discussing today,” one participant responded to the attempt to drag the demonstration into a wider political agenda.
What you need to know
Police have suspended their investigation into the case of assault on a 20-year-old Romani man in Náchod in November 2024 as they have not managed to ascertain the identity of the perpetrator.
The incident sparked fear in the Romani community and led to a public assembly for better security on 9 November.
Distorted information spread on social media about the attack and police called on the public to be cautious about sharing unverified allegations.
Anti-Ukrainian sentiment was also expressed during the assembly, but the local Roma clearly objected to it.
