Romani flood victims from Ostrava and its surroundings are continuing to report cases of being treated unequally during the provision of aid. News server Romea.cz reported on these complaints on Friday. According to information from the field that has been provided to the Czech Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs, some bureaucrats are behaving arrogantly and disdainfully toward Romani flood victims. The Director-General of the Labor Offices of the Czech Republic, Daniel Krištof, told news server Romea.cz that these allegations are "untrue" and even called them "defamation". In his view, the Labor Office treats all citizens equally. “I went to the Labor Office to request Exceptional Aid, but I encountered bureaucratic obstacles. I was told I had to submit my rental contract for the apartment that had been submerged even though it was clear that I have no access to it now. The staffers at the office were unprepared for this situation and behaved arrogantly,” Romani activist Elena Gorolová, a flood victim from the Ostrava-Přívoz quarter.

Link: https://romea.cz/en/czech-republic/czech-labor-office-director-rejects-accusations-that-romani-flood-victims-are-being-treated-unequally-czech-government-commissioner-for-roma-minority-affairs-says-she-has-reports-of-unequal-treatment

Through an open letter, the Initiative for the Minority of the Civic Association called on the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs and Minister Ivica Dačić to "take legal action" against the owner of the gas station in the municipality of Bela Crkva and the members of his family - son-in-law and daughter, "who hold justice in their hands "and harassed young Roma aged 12, 14 and 16 since they broke into the store.

Three underage Roma stole four cans of juice and 9,000 dinars, (around 65 euros), for which they were "taken by force to an abandoned house in Bela Crkva where they were beaten".

One of the boys also had his nose broken - there is a medical report for that, their blood was changed with cold water, and they were threatened that they would be executed with a gun, according to the press release.

The boys were then taken to the pumps that I had stolen and were given clippers to cut each other's hair.

One of the boys is a citizen of Germany, so the Initiative of the Association of Civil Minorities simultaneously appeals to the Embassy of the Republic of Germany to provide legal protection to its minor citizen, a sixteen-year-old who is a participant in that event.

International organizations for the protection of children, UNICEF, Save the Children, Eurochild, will be asked to take steps to follow up on this case.

As he states, the minority initiative will also submit a statement to the institutions of the European Union, considering that one of the boys is a citizen of an EU member state.

"Those children who, according to their own admission, committed theft at that pump could have been reported to the police, and their act legally looked into, but for citizens to take justice into their own hands and mistreat minor children is unacceptable." for a country that is a constitutional republic", said the Initiative of Minorities in the appeal to Minister Dacic.

It is emphasized that the whole case "is additionally burdened by the fact that it deals with Roma children".

"And here new questions arise - is the abuse by the family members of the pump owner really on a racial basis and at the same time is it possible to somehow discipline the Roma in Serbia, to instill fear in their bones." , to scare them to the point of never feeling safe", the press release says.

Link: https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/reagujte-zbog-zlostavljanja-decaka-u-beloj-crkvi-gradjani-uputili-otvoreno-pismo-dacicu-i-mup-u/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFCjahleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHT9SbnHwB-eIom8HpWXNtWcw1jrTaHWrNOkOo7dOp5uZKOrztPffwcPz3A_aem_mcSTp_x0TZDWCBi8PamyPw