Security Working Group of the Czech Govt Council for Roma Minority Affairs discusses challenges posed by hatred online, illegal drug use, and social media influencers
The Security Working Group of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs met during the second half of February. The main subjects discussed were communications during crises involving risks to public safety, the issue of the abuse of illegal addictive substances by Romani community members, and preventing the spread of hate on social media, including by Roma.
The design of an accredited course for field workers and social workers aimed at working with Romani people was also given a great deal of attention. “Among the crucial subjects we discussed were the appointment of new members to the working group; questions touching on the communications scheme for crises involving risks to public safety, for instance, during interethnic tensions; preparing a round table on the subject of the continuing education of the judiciary; and current events in the field of security on the territory of the Czech Republic from the start of 2025,” Milan Adam, the civil society member of the Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs who chairs the working group, told news server Romea.cz.
This session of the working group intensively discussed how to establish flows of information when addressing crises such as interethnic tensions at the local level or natural disasters. According to Jan Dužda, the Coordinator of Roma Affairs for the capital city of Prague, it is crucial to take the different opportunities of each region into account during such communications.
“The Coordinators for Roma Affairs have different instruments and networks of contacts which they can use in each region. In any event, it’s possible to say that each coordinator has their own functional model. Nevertheless, it is still important to communicate across the institutional structure set up for the support of Romani integration as well as among the different public administration bodies (the Interior Ministry, the Police of the Czech Republic, etc.) and to have the most up-to-date information possible, not just about the situations themselves, but also about the means which we can use to resolve such situations,” Dužda explained.
One problem that has long been discussed by the working group is the spread of hate speech through social media, both by some non-Romani influencers and some Romani ones. “The extremists among the so-called live-streamers obviously are not much concerned about prosecution or sanctions for violating legal regulations, but the police are doing their best to penalize them,” the minutes from the November 2024 meeting of the Security Working Group read on the issue.
“We requested a representative of the Agency for Social Inclusion from the Regional Development Ministry to present a project called ‘A Community for Everybody’ to us. The working group will continue to dedicate itself to this issue and will keep investigating the legal options on how to proceed when the law is being violated in such situations,” Adam said.
Great attention during this session of the Security Working Group was also sparked by the subject of preventing the abuse of illegal addictive substances. Dužda warned that illegal drug use is significantly spreading in Prague.
“The number of addicted persons is rising and the social impacts are becoming more and more visible,” Dužda warned. In that context, an accredited course for field workers and social workers was presented that focuses on the specific aspects of working with Romani people.
“The biggest contribution of this course should be its specific focus on the target group of potential or existing drug users in Romani communities, where there will be parallel tracks of basic training in the field of addiction studies and a focus on selected specific aspects of Romani clients. Another advantage is that the training is also suitable as part of the ongoing education for officials of local self-governing units and is accredited by both the Interior Ministry and the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry,” Dužda said.
According to the Prague Roma Affairs Coordinator, it is crucial to respond to the problem of illegal drug use in a coordinated, fast way. “I consider the most effective instrument for addressing this issue to be immediate reactions and intensive collaboration among all involved parties. That requires a high-quality network of contacts and access to up-to-date, truthful information,” he told news server Romea.cz.
What you need to know:
The Security Working Group of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs addressed communications during crises, the dissemination of hate through social media, and the issue of illegal drug abuse.
Hate on the Internet and live-streamers: The Security Working Group reviewed the legal options for penalizing extremist influencers who incite hatred.
The growing abuse of illegal drugs: In Prague and other regions the number of drug-addicted persons is growing, which experts say is an alarming trend.
New accredited course: An educational program for field workers and social workers focused on addiction prevention and work with Romani people was presented.
