Tuesday 29 June 2021

We Need To Be More Czech...

Human rights organisations are leading calls for an urgent investigation into the death of a Czech man who died after being restrained by police, after footage of the incident went viral on social media.

Did the Czech police reflexively cringe before the assault and apologise to all and sundry? Reader, they did not! 

Eyewitnesses told the Guardian that Tomáš was arrested after attempting to stop a car being vandalised, but the Czech police and authorities have rejected this narrative. The regional police spokesman, Daniel Vítek, said the police received a complaint on Saturday, shortly before 3pm, regarding two men fighting and damaging cars on Dubská street in Teplice.
The police later tweeted a video titled “No Czech Floyd ...” to show what had preceded their intervention. The footage shows two shirtless figures running around the street, shouting and punching cars.

You can see the footage here and make up your own mind. 

Czech interior minister Jan Hamáček backed the police, saying on Twitter: “The police has my full support. If someone under the influence of drugs breaks the law, they have to count on the Czech police intervening. Thanks to the work of police officers, we are one of the top 10 safest countries in the world.”

And because the man in question belonged to a community known for its lawlessness and violence, the usual suspects are whining like a 747's engines on takeoff: 

Jonathan Lee from the European Roma Rights Centre believes Tomáš’s death is emblematic of the discrimination of Roma in the Czech Republic and Europe. “Police violence is the most common and visible human rights abuse Roma face across all of Europe,” he said.

Which has absolutely nothing to do with their actions, eh? 

“Whether it is lack of training, negligence or wilful discrimination, Czech authorities should be held accountable after an impartial investigation is conducted,” said Lee.

But Lee, if it's truly impartial, it may conclude they have nothing to be held accountable for, couldn't it? 

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