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Czech Republic: Racist groups on the rise

01 July 1995

On 13 May in the town of Zdar nad Sazavou a 43 year old Romani man, Tibor Berky was murdered by skinheads with a baseball in front of his wife and five children. Four youths smashed their way into the home of Berky, a bakery worker, and repeatedly hit him on the head with the bat until he was dead. A 21-year old man has been charged with the murder and two 17-year olds with assaulting Berky. They told the police they supported a racist skinhead movement. The three had come to the town, which has 120 Romanis out of a population of 26,000, for a festival and had been drinking most of the day. Their alleged intent to "scare a few Romanis" is reminiscent of SS youth said Libuse Silhanova, vice chairwoman of the Czech Helsinki Committee. The Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus said the murder was "the last straw" and Justice Minister Jifi Novak said he would propose life sentences for racially motivated murders - from the present 15 years - and an increase in the penalty for racist attacks from three to five years. In June the Interior Minister Jan Ruml published a report on racist and extremist groups saying they were more numerous and well-organised that ever and placed their membership at around 7,000. Of these 4,000 belong to various "patriotic" organisations, 1,500 are members of neo-Nazi groups and 1,500 are involved in skinhead groups. The report said racist attacks were mostly carried out by skinheads. Commentators said the numbers in skinhead groups were nearer 3,000. In 1994 the Czech police recorded 160 racist attacks with the number of people charged - mainly skinheads - rising from 27 to 155 over the last years. Prague Post, 24.5.95 & 12.7.95.