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Czech family granted asylum in New Zealand

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Wellington, Jan 29 (CTK) – A Czech woman and her three sons, who received death threats from neo-Nazis, have been granted refugee status in New Zealand, the website of the public broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported on Monday.

Originally, only her second son was granted asylum, but the family successfully appealed the decision of the immigration and protection tribunal.

The tribunal concluded that all four “suffered harassment and abuse in an escalated campaign of hate crimes,” Radio NZ writes, adding that they were called “dirty gypsies” at school, in parks, shops and on the streets.

A member of the majority white population, the woman raised three sons with her Roma partner, but she has been separated from her partner since 2013. She told the tribunal her sons face segregation, curses and punches at school because of their Roma origin.

The abuse culminated in an attack and written threats. The first letter appeared in her mailbox in 2015 saying: “All black filth needs Hitler to clean them up, but the time will come when someone even better than him will come along.” A month later, another letter said “gas smells great, doesn’t it”, alluding to the gas chambers used against Romani gypsies during the Second World War. The mother reported both threats to the police but said the officer did not even record the complaints, Radio NZ writes on its website.

“In 2016, she and the children hid in a bathroom all night when they heard firecrackers and breaking glass being thrown against her apartment, fearing Molotov cocktails were being hurled at the building. They fled within a week of that attack to New Zealand,” the radio says.

“The tribunal said anti-Roma riots, marches and demonstrations began in 2013 and racism and hate crimes there were becoming more and more normal, and ruled the whole family was at risk of persecution. Segregation in schools and lack of action against bullies was also widespread. The European Commission has initiated infringement proceedings against the Czech state for systematic discrimination,” Radio NZ writes.

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