Prague, Feb 6 (CTK) – The HateFree Culture project that fought manifestations of racial and other hatred in the Czech Republic will end in April because Minister for Human Rights and Minorities, Jan Chvojka, will not extend it, weekly Tyden writes in its issue out yesterday.
“From the beginning, I considered it a temporary project that should not turn into a permanent agenda of the Government Agency for Social Inclusion,” Chvojka (Social Democrats, CSSD) told Tyden.
The HateFree Culture campaign was launched in November 2014, under minister Jiri Dienstbier (CSSD), whom Chvojka replaced two months ago. Most of the costs were covered from the Norway Grants.
In reaction, Dienstbier said on Twitter that he considers it unreasonable to cancel the project. “It is reasonable to support everything that faces intolerance and hatred and disproves propagated lies and prejudices,” he said.
The campaign focuses primarily on young people, at first on the Internet. Other activities included the HateFree Zone project that promotes approach to all people without hate and violence.
Czech cafes, clubs, theatres and galleries that join the HateFree Zone promote openness to all people irrespective of their ethnicity or other qualities. They are marked by a “hate free” sticker on the entrance and in the interior.
Chvojka told Tyden that the project got in an impasse as its background and financing has attracted more attention than its contents.
Daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) wrote previously that former head of the HateFree project Nikola Kristek was a member of the AISIS group that won contracts worth five million crowns from the Government Office, under which the HateFree project has been organised.
“His double engagement is a very unpleasant surprise for me. I believe that this should not be done,” Chvojka said about Kristek.
($1=25.155 crowns)
