The political scene has woken up and unanimously denounced the “brutal, hideous, atrocious crime”, as the president said. That’s a good news, although it should be a natural thing.
The situation presented in first news reports seems clear: an attempt at a racially motivated multiple murder on the day that a few hundred young skinheads in northern Bohemia enthusiastically commemorated the instigator of one of the worst genocides in history. But we are not politicians, so we can stay reserved even about such an emotional case. Yes, it seems like an attempt at a racial murder, but it’s not 100% sure yet.
What is encouraging about the politicians’ indignation is that the leaders of all decent parties have come up with a prompt and harsh reaction. (Let’s bypass, with our noses covered with a handkerchief, the statement by Jiří Paroubek: “The moral blame lies especially with the Interior Minister.” If there is something that Interior Minister Langer has to be reminded of, it’s his policy toward the Vietnamese. But when police officers in January beat Mr. Hoang Son Lam to death in Brno, Paroubek did not say a thing.) Also, there isn’t any politician in the lower house today who would capitalise on racial hatred and intolerance. But would they be all speak up just as loudly if the victim wasn’t a small girl?
Unlike some politicians, we can’t see any direct link between the march in Ústí nad Labem and the tragedy in Vítkov. Let’s confess that part of racism arises from real social problems. We don’t claim that racism would disappear if politicians really did care about the poorest ones, if less people were in the exclusion trap. But it would definitely be weaker.
And there would definitely be fewer potential victims living – like the Romani family in Vítkov – in dark places without a telephone and in strange houses “with no owner”.
