Jan Houška: Racist remarks against Romani people must be addressed by the law, not apologies or resignations
Racism is a political theory based on the idea that humanity can be separated into groups on the basis of their biological determination - into "races" - and that it is such biological determination that influences the various intellectual and mental abilities of the members of such ethnicities or races. The definition of racism states that the races are not equal and that therefore the members of some races can never be acknowledged as having the same abilities, or the same rights, or the same share of political power as the members of other races.
To deny that an ethnic group, including ethnic Roma, has the same intellectual or mental abilities as anybody else is, therefore, a clear display of racism. Nevertheless, we have witnessed the fact that if a politician makes public remarks denying that Romani people have the same intellectual or mental abilities as anybody else, those remarks are not perceived as racism, but just as incorrect or unethical behavior.
In such a case, an apology for the remarks is considered to be enough, followed by a resignation that is accompanied by the condescending, joyful cheers of those celebrating the fact that “at least” somebody has “finally” resigned for such behavior. The Constitution of the Czech Republic clearly states that citizens can engage in behavior as long as it is not forbidden by law, and nobody can be forced to do something the law does not require.
As long as we fail to confront such statements about Roma with the effective application of the legal norms punishing hate crimes, though, we will continue to hear such statements in the future. It is thanks to this societal laxity when it comes to the racist behavior toward Romani people in particular that the “normalization” of absolutely erroneous, racist theses about ethnic Roma takes place here.
These lies are then received as facts, and in the eyes of part of society, they strengthen their negative perception of Romani people. As a consequence, their hateful behavior or remarks about Roma are viewed as something tolerable – after all, “they’re just saying or writing their opinion”.
Unfortunately, such people are partially right, because it is only the legal framework that sets the boundaries which cannot be crossed with impunity. Any form of racism is dangerous, though.
Racism creates a disgusting, undemocratic environment where there is no room for change or discussion. Its barriers are built from such growing prejudices, and only the consistent application of the law can reveal whether a statement is acceptable or not within the framework of the law.
As long as that never happens, we are allowing the politicians who make anti-Romani remarks to play the role of martyrs in the eyes of society. This is not about freedom of speech or political correctness – this is about a dehumanizing position that can be and must be judged under the law.
