Litovel, Czech Republic: Boys confess to police that they lied when alleging assault by "Roma"
Police in Litovel, Czech Republic have closed the case of an alleged assault on two adolescents on Sunday, 2 February on the bike path between the municipalities of Červenka and Litovel. According to the first reports, the two 17-year-olds alleged they had been assaulted by three Romani men.
The subsequent police investigation has established that the incident never took place. The youngsters actually caused each other the injuries and, fearing their parents’ reactions, invented a story to place blame on other, non-existent, perpetrators.
Police have worked intensively on the case. “We reviewed several hours of CCTV footage, interrogated witnesses, and thanks to our call to the public for assistance, we ultimately received crucial information. On the basis of the explanations given, it turned out that these guys invented the whole thing,” said Ivana Skoupilová, the police spokesperson.
According to Skoupilová, the youngsters ultimately admitted what they had done and expressed regret for their behavior. The case was delivered to the municipality for further review as a misdemeanor.
Mayor of Litovel Viktor Kohout stressed that the spreading of untrue information might impact the town’s reputation and the perception of its safety situation. “The current news of a recent assault at the dikes has intensified the already-negative perception of safety in our town. Now we are witnessing how far hateful campaigns against minorities can go and how they even influence our children. They were so afraid of their parents that they had to invent a story like this which, thanks to the media and social networks, created an entirely other negative dimension to the situation,” Kohout said.
The fabricated incident has already increased tensions between some non-Roma and Roma. The town hall has already beefed up its municipal police patrols and set up cooperation with a Romani coordinator who is endeavoring to improve communication between local residents.
Mayor Kohout also previously mentioned the option of creating a local Romani Council to contribute to improved cooperation and understanding between communities.
