Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA), said that Roma people in Czech Republic reportedly faced violent attacks, stereotyping, racism, prejudice, growing gap between Roma and other Czechs, fear, beatings, poor quality housing, systemic employment and overall discrimination, persecution, throwing of Molotov cocktails, social exclusion, segregated schools, forced sterilization, marginalization; refused service at restaurants, stores, discos, etc; municipalities/towns failing to support them; and the state being unwilling or unable to offer protection.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out that it was simply inhumane for Canada to attempt to turn the Roma away. Canada reportedly took this action in view of rising Czech Roma asylum applications (over 1,700 Czech Roma reportedly applied for refugee status in the first six months of 2009). Could not the world’s second largest country with total area of 9,984,670 square kilometers and with estimated population of only 33,724,848 accommodate few hundred Roma refugees?

Rajan Zed further said that seeing the relatively higher acceptance rate of refugee claims of Czech Roma in Canada in the past, they seemed to be genuine refugees. To make it tougher for Czech Roma, even the Embassy of Canada in Prague did not process visa applications and applicants had to submit applications to Canadian visa office in Vienna (Austria).

Zed argued that Roma faced apartheid like conditions in Czech Republic. Canada should meet its human-rights commitments by urgently processing all the refugee claims of Czech Roma and immediately lift visa requirements for Czech Republic. Roma also had the right to live a normal and harmonious life. Canada should immediately change its Roma exclusion policy which smelled of discrimination and institutionalized racism.

Mostly originating from India, Roma people migrated to Europe starting around 11th century.