[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 31245]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



     TEAR DOWN THE USTI WALL; DROP THE CHARGES AGAINST ONDREJ GINA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 1999

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks, we have seen a 
number of historic dates come and go, with appropriate commemoration. 
November 9, for example, marked the tenth anniversary since the fall of 
the Berlin Wall. Yesterday, November 17, is recognized as the 
commencement of the Velvet Revolution which unleashed the forces of 
democracy against the totalitarian regime in Czechoslovakia. To mark 
that occasion, George Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev and 
other former leaders from the day met with President Vaclav Havel in 
Prague.
  Beyond the symbolism of those dates, they have had other meaning. 
Many of us had hoped that the wall in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic--a 
symbol of racism--would be brought down on the anniversary of the fall 
of the Berlin Wall. Regrettably, November 9, came and went, and the 
Usti Wall still stood.
  We had hoped that the Usti Wall would come down on November 17. Some 
Czech officials even hinted this would be the case. Regrettably, 
November 17 has come and gone, and the Usti Wall still stands.
  Now, I understand some say the Usti Wall should come down before the 
European Union summit in Helsinki--scheduled for December 6. Mr. 
Speaker, the Usti Wall should never have been built, and it should come 
down now, today. As President Reagan exhorted Mr. Gorbachev more than 
ten years ago, so I will call on Czech leaders today:
  Tear down the Usti Wall.
  Last fall, a delegation from the Council of Europe visited Usti nad 
Labem. Afterwards, the Chairwoman of the Council's Specialist Group on 
Roma, Josephine Verspaget, held a press conference in Prague when she 
called the plans to build the Usti Wall ``a step towards apartheid.'' 
Subsequently, the United States delegation to the OSCE's annual human 
rights meeting in Warsaw publicly echoed those views.
  Since the construction of the Usti Wall, this sentiment has been 
voiced, in even stronger terms, by Ondrej Gina, a well-known Romani 
activist in the Czech Republic. He is now being prosecuted by officials 
in his home town of Rokycany, who object to Gina's criticisms. The 
criminal charges against Mr. Gina include slander, assault on a public 
official, and incitement to racial hatred. In short, Mr. Gina is being 
persecuted because public officials in Rokycany do not like his 
controversial opinions. They object to Mr. Gina's also using the word 
``apartheid.''
  I can certainly understand that the word ``apartheid'' makes people 
feel uncomfortable. It is an ugly word describing an ugly practice. At 
the same time, if the offended officials want to increase their comfort 
level, it seems to me that tearing down the Usti Wall--not prosecuting 
Ondrej Gina--would be a more sensible way to achieve that goal. As it 
stands, Mr. Gina faces criminal charges because he exercised his 
freedom of expression. If he is convicted, he will become an 
international cause celebre. If he goes to jail under these charges, he 
will be a prisoner of conscience.
  Mr. Speaker, it is not unusual for discussions of racial issues in 
the United States to become heated. These are important, complex, 
difficult issues, and people often feel passionate about them. But 
prosecuting people for their views on race relations cannot advance the 
dialogue we seek to have. With a view to that dialogue, as difficult as 
it may be, I hope officials in Rokycany will drop their efforts to 
prosecute Mr. Gina.

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