Romani and Ukrainian members of the Czech Government Council for National Minorities call on the Government not to underestimate the currently tense situation
Jan Balog, the representative of the Romani national minority, and Bohdan Rajčinec, the representative of the Ukrainian national minority on the Czech Government Council for National Minorities have issued a joint statement distancing themselves from all hate speech and calling on the Government of the Czech Republic and other institutions not to underestimate the currently tense situation between Romani people and Ukrainians in the Czech Republic. They sent the statement to news server Romea.cz.
“We are following with regret the incidents of violence which have exceeded any acceptable behavioral framework in recent days as well as the legal framework and are endangering individuals and groups. These incidents are influencing the general society’s view of the lives of the Romani and Ukrainian minorities in the Czech Republic,” the council members have written.
“We distance ourselves from hate speech, from generalizations and from some individuals, politicians or publicly active persons of any kind giving speeches that incite aggression, persons who are exploiting this tense situation for their own benefit,” Balog and Rajčinec said, adding that they believe the Police of the Czech Republic are proceeding independently and properly when resolving violent incidents.
“We call on the Government of the Czech Republic and on other institutions not to underestimate the situation. Let’s not allow populism, a lack of information or the absence of tolerance to become a pretext for stirring up extremist sentiment in society,” the joint statement concludes.
