Saturday, June 18, 2011

ATTACKS ON ROMANI


VEDERO
 BOTH THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES ARE FROM ROMEA.CZ

Hungary: Neo-Nazi leader gets suspended sentence for assaulting police


Gyöngyös, Hungary, 16.6.2011 16:04, (ROMEA)

http://www.romea.cz/english/index.php?id=detail&detail=2007_2555
Slovak news server SME reports that yesterday in the eastern Hungarian town of Gyöngyös, the leader of the right-wing extremist group Véderő, Tamás Eszes, received a suspended sentence of 1.5 years for assaulting police officers. The Véderő movement is an infamous Hungarian organization that reveres the Nazi legacy.

Véderő received global attention in April for attacks committed by its adherents against the residents of the Romani community of Gyöngyöspata in the north of the country. The movement established a training camp not far from the Romani village.

Those attending the camp repeatedly attacked the nearby Romani residents. On Friday 22 April, local Romani people evacuated as many as 300 children and women with the assistance of the Red Cross. Three people were hospitalized as a result of attacks committed by Véderő members. At the time Hungarian State Police classified the actions of the three neo-Nazi brawlers responsible as "causing a public disturbance".

Tamás Eszes will be on probation for four years. News server SME reports that this "leader of the nation", as his megalomaniac promoters call him, was detained for causing a public disturbance in an intoxicated state.

ROMEA, sme.sk, translated by Gwendolyn Albert

__________________________________________________________________________
Slovakia: Assailant gets suspended sentence for violent racist attack on Romani boy


Košice, 16.6.2011 15:39, (ROMEA)

http://www.romea.cz/english/index.php?id=detail&detail=2007_2554
Both the court and the state prosecutor in Košice believe a suspended sentence is sufficient for a racially motivated attack on a child that included the adult assailant giving the Nazi salute. An agreement on the sentencing has been reached between the state authorities and the perpetrator, Pavel H. (31) of Košice, who can be satisfied with the outcome. News server Korzár.sk reports that the criminal prosecution for the attack five years ago on a 14-year-old Romani boy in Ždiarská street has basically ended in the perpetrator's favor.

"He grabbed the minor, threw him to the ground, punched him in the face and head, kicked him in the head, and swore at him," the police charges read. After confessing to his crime, Pavel H. agreed on the sentencing with the district prosecutor, a half-year prison sentence suspended for one year. The sentence has been approved by the Košice II District Court.

The native of Košiče received this sentence even though he gave the Nazi salute and shouted "Heil Hitler" several times after attacking the boy. When the victim's mother tried to help him, Pavel H. threw a trash can at her. The state prosecutor has not said why specifically she agreed to a suspended sentence.

"Given the perpetrator's character, particularly taking his life to date into consideration and the environment in which he lives and works, and given the circumstances of the case, we believe it is not essential that the perpetrator do prison time in order to ensure the protection of society and his own rehabilitation," said Milan Filičko, spokesperson for the Košice Regional State Prosecutor's office. Without giving further details he confirmed that Pavel H. has previously been prosecuted for other crimes.

The defendant convinced the judge that the entire incident was a youthful deviation which he regrets. "I was hanging out with people who had extremist tendencies, but that ended long ago," he claimed.

Pavel H. evidently belonged to the radical wing of the 1. FC Košice football fan club. In 2000 he was in a group of fans who were subjected to harsh police intervention prior to a match in Prešov. He was the only person to be hospitalized with a concussion. Police intervened after the fans demolished a bar and gave the Nazi salute.

Punishments should be stricter

Last year a total of 114 extremist and racially motivated crimes were officially registered in Slovakia. Of those, 81 were solved. In 2009 there were 96 such cases and in 2008 there were as many as 213. Right-wing extremism based on racism dominates in Slovakia. The Concept for the Fight against Extremism for 2011-2014, adopted by the Slovak government, includes football hooligan activities in its purview (unlike the Czech Interior Ministry). The hooligan clubs include Ultras Košice, which has concluded an alliance with the football rowdies of Sparta Praha.

The Slovak government is planning to adopt several measures against racial crime. The Justice Ministry is preparing an amendment to the Penal Code "focusing on stricter recourse against perpetrators". A section of court experts specializing in extremist crime will also be established. Another tool will be educating judges, members of the security forces and prosecutors about current trends in extremism, it external manifestations and transformations, the characteristics of perpetrators, etc.

The full original article (in Slovak) can be read at
http://korzar.sme.sk/c/5935538/kopal-do-romskeho-chlapca-ma-podmienku.html#ixzz1PGEjbBNz

Korzár.sk, translated by Gwendolyn Albert

ROMEA

1 comment:

Elena said...

I am an American student who is writing a speech about Romani culture and the struggle for equal rights. I am not Romani and I cannot be sure that all that I find on the internet is true. It is very important to me to write this speech because most people in the U.S.A. are more or less ignorant of the Romani people, and I know many would be shocked to hear about the injustices that they experience. I mean to be a help and not a bother, if anyone can answer some questions for me it would be greatly appreciated. I've searched for Romani people in my area but it's difficult to find an someone. Please email me at elenamendoza1994@yahoo.com if you can help me. Thank you.
please send email in spanish, french, or english. I don't speak any other languages.