Respekt: Media adopt controversial "unadaptables" label

Prague, Jan 3 (CTK) - One of the words that symbolise 2011 in the Czech Republic is "unadaptable" that has recently been used by Czech media very often, Lucie Kavanova writes in weekly Respekt's latest issue about the term that is now used when speaking of (problematic) Romanies.

While Czech press used the term "unadaptable" only twice in 1991, it was about hundred times in 2001 and 800 articles used it in 2011, Kavanova writes.

"Despite the original intention (not to explicitly speak of Romanies) this term started to be clearly identified with the unadaptable Romany ethnicity. But it is not clear whether the speaker says all Romanies are unadaptable or nobody else but Romanies are unadaptable," Kavanova quotes linguist Eva Leheckova, from the Czech Language Institute of Charles University, as saying.

Leheckova adds that this word was used for participants in rave festivals, homeless people and members of underground culture in the past.

The meaning of the word began to be more and more used as a label for Czech Romanies in the 1990s when a number of extremist groups formed in the Czech Republic and racial attacks against Romanies became more frequent, Kavanova writes.

Regional politicians who won national popularity by their criticism of problematic Romanies like Ivana Rapkova (Civic Democrats, ODS) and Jiri Cunek (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) spoke of "socially unadaptable citizens" in the past decade.

She says Rapkova defends the use of the term, arguing that "the unadaptable" is a label for "anybody whose actions and ways of life disturb decent citizens," namely for "the homeless, drunks, drug addicts and problematic neighbours irrespective of the colour of their skin."

But from her public statements it is obvious that Rapkova means first of all Romanies, Kavanova writes.

"This is just populist talk that divides society into the good ones and the bad ones. The word is a slogan, a simplification about which people seemingly do not have to think anymore," Jana Hejkrlikova, specialising in human rights, told Respekt.

Last year, media reports from the turbulent Sluknov area, a remote part of northern Bohemia, started using the term automatically, Kavanova writes.

Tension between the majority population and the Romany community escalated following several violent attacks by Romanies in the Sluknov area, where repeated anti-Romany marches were organised by extremists in local towns in autumn 2011.

In September 2011, Czech Helsinki Committee head Anna Sabatova and journalist Petr Uhl complained to the Czech Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting of the use of the word in public media, Kavanova recalls.

"By uncritically adopting the term 'unadaptable' Czech Television and other media significantly contribute to the stigmatisation of Romanies and reinforcement of prejudices against them," Sabatova and Uhl wrote, calling on the council to check whether the crime of inciting hatred against Romanies was committed.

The council decided that the criminal law was not violated, however, it handed the complaint to the Council of the Czech Television, Kavanova writes.

She says Czech Television (CT) legal representative Michal Heldenburg said in reaction that CT proceeded in accordance with "the general perception of concrete issues" and that "human society functions in such a way that a minority adapts to a majority. Anybody who cannot understand it is unadaptable."

Heldenburg pointed out that CT is tolerant because "it employs Gypsies."

Milan Uhde, head of CT Council, then said Heldenburg's statements were outrageous. The term will nevertheless continue to be used by CT and other media, Kavanova writes.

CT has not answered the question whether it discussed the use of the term yet its reporters unofficially admit that no discussion took place, Kavanova says.