Czech Romani MP barred from entering a disco

05 January 1999

On November 18, 1998, the police department of Brno, eastern Czech Republic, started an investigation following the complaint of Ms Monika Horáková, a Romani member of the Czech Parliament, that she was refused entry to a disco club on the basis of her ethnicity. According to the daily Mladá Fronta Dnes, the police concluded that it was a case of racial discrimination.

On the evening of October 17, Ms Horáková together with two other Romani women rang the bell of the "Orpheus" disco club in the town of Brno. A small window in the door opened, only to be immediately shut again. The second try was left unanswered as well. After they saw a group of around 15 non-Romani people walking into the disco, Ms Horáková and her friends attempted to enter the disco again. This time the guard sent them off with the excuse that the disco was full, although Ms Horáková claims that just before that she overheard the guard telling a visitor that the atmosphere in the disco was bad, as it was almost empty. Ms Horáková then went to the closest police station, filed a complaint, then hired an attorney and filed complaints with other relevant authorities. The Czech Trade Inspectorate has also announced its intention to investigate the case. (ERRC, Mladá Fronta Dnes, Právo)