By Zoltán Dujisin
PRAGUE, Nov 16 2006 (IPS)

The relocation of Roma people from the centre of a town in the eastern region of Moravia has sparked a debate over minority rights and served as a stark reminder that actions against Roma can be politically rewarding.

Roma are a people who are believed to have migrated to Europe from Asia since the 14th century.

Mayor of Vsetin town Jiri Cunek ordered the removal this month of hundreds of mostly Roma rent defaulters from dilapidated flats in the town centre to container-like apartments and far-away villages.

The decision led to protests by victims of the relocation and also by mayors of the affected villages, civil society activists, and several government officials. The eviction, which took place secretly and at night, prompted deputy regional governor of the region Jitka Chalankova to denounce the move as “unacceptable” and describe it as “deportation”.

Human rights groups have called for Cunek to step down from politics. They say several victims of relocation were forced to sign documents agreeing to the move, under pressure from authorities who threatened them with homelessness or with losing their offspring to children’s homes.

“Romanophobia still persists in Czech society,” Amnesty spokesperson Eva Dobrovolna told IPS. “It affects the entire population, and is not a matter of class or wealth.”

This is not the first time Czechs have witnessed such steps. “In communities with a majority of Roma people, the non-Roma develop very negative opinions on the Roma, and it causes tension,” Dobrovolna says.

It is estimated that roughly 80,000 people live in approximately 330 isolated Roma settlements in underprivileged conditions. According to the Czech Labour and Social Affairs Ministry, the number of these settlements has increased 35 percent over the last decade. The Czech Republic has a population of about 10 million.

Under communism the Roma had to abandon their nomadic lifestyle and adapt to the imperatives of industrialisation. Housing problems with members of the Roma community have been rife since the collapse of the socialist system in what was formerly Czechoslovakia.

In the Czech Republic, born as a result of a friendly separation from the Slovak Republic in 1993, a perception persists that the Roma benefit the most from social security schemes. Many non-Roma blame the Roma for their disadvantaged condition and the state of their dwellings.

“The population only sees the consequences of this discrimination, that some people don’t work and are under state allowances,” says Dobrovolna, “but they don’t see the source of the problem: Roma simply don’t enjoy the same opportunities.”

The integration of Roma into the broader Czech society has been generally considered a failure. Most members of this community remain stuck in situations of poverty and unemployment, which is several times higher than the national rate.

“But there is some improvement,” says Dobrovolna. “There are state projects against discrimination, the European Union has increased pressure to address the issue, and we witness more awareness campaigns by non-governmental organisations.”

Despite this, many Roma people still live in fear of eviction, because tough tactics against Roma can bring votes to those who put forward such policies.

The mayor of Vsetin who declared he felt “like a doctor removing an ulcer” is known for his determination against Roma settlers seen to be living in illegal occupation. Cunek said his measures help the Roma population, and rebuffs accusations of racism. He has refused to apologise for his actions.

“There is a tendency to demonise him as a racist,” Roman Joch, executive director of the Civic Institute, an independent organisation, told IPS. “But his move was in accordance with Czech laws. These people were not paying their rent, and were moved to flats built with state money.”

Cunek is a leading figure in the Christian Democratic Party, a small political force that enjoys broad support in rural areas.

Members of the party, including its leader Jan Kasal, have condemned the mayor’s actions, even if mildly. But Cunek is a rising star in a weakened party, and some have hinted at the possibility that he could take over party leadership.

Cunek, who also has a seat in the Czech senate, has threatened he would run independently for the Senate if excluded from his own political force.

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