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22 January 2016

Czech Republic: Controversy on the campaign Hello Czech Republic

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Czech Education Minister Katerina Valachova (Social Democrats, CSSD) distanced herself from the materials linked to the awareness campaign Hello Czech republic for primary and secondary schools that puts children in the role of refugees. The materials include a comic book and a film telling the story of:

  • Hamid, a boy who makes the journey from Afghanistan to Sweden;
  • A Kurdish girl sent to Sweden by her mother;
  • A nuclear disaster in the Czech Republic which forces inhabitants to leave for a fictitious country in Asia, where their arrival arouses public protests.

The project Hello Czech Republic has been prepared by the META NGO and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with aims to provide teachers with practical knowledge to communicate sensitive issues concerning refugees to their pupils and students as well as to support their capacity to help refugee children to integrate into mainstream education system.

Mrs. Valachová proclaimed that the Education Ministry has not supported the campaign financially and does not distribute the campaign´s education materials. According to her, it is up to teachers and school directors to decide whether the education materials will be used.

The controversy on the campaign was caused by a misleading report broadcasted on a ´tabloid´ TV Nova and several online magazines. President Miloš Zeman said the project was an idiotic and dangerous propaganda, adding that the comics ´in a way simplifies the situation´. According to Mr. Zeman, known for his islamophobic attitudes, it is ´practically impossible´ for Muslims to integrate into European society.

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Czech Republic
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Posted by
Jan Ditko
Country Coordinator

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