Minister Jandák misses a dignified Holocaust memorial

PRAGUE - Minister of Culture Vítězslav Jandák believes that a dignified Holocaust memorial is lacking in the Czech Republic. He stated this in today's Press Club on Frekvence 1. "Why destroy something in the name of something?" he replied to the question of whether he would advocate for the purchase of the pig farm on the site of the former Romani camp in Lety near Písek. The Committee for Compensation of the Romani Holocaust and some politicians are advocating for the removal of the pig farm. Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek (ČSSD) recently stated that he wants to resolve the issue before the elections.
"I feel the need for a true Holocaust memorial to be built in this country. Some may argue that we have Terezín, but when we see what the Holocaust was - that it involved Roma, the mentally disabled, and Jews - I think we truly lack a proper memorial here. It should be built in another place that can be visited from abroad, accessible to all people, and not by demolishing the pig farm," said Jandák, who is not offended by the structure in Lety.
"There is a dignified Orthodox cross there, which unfortunately gathers very few people. Usually only when there are television cameras and journalists present. That's why I'm looking for something else. So that we can genuinely build something dignified for the Roma, Jews, and the victims of the Holocaust," he added.
According to historical sources, around 326 people perished in the collection camp for Roma in Lety, which operated from 1942 to 1943, and over five hundred prisoners were transported to Auschwitz.
On Thursday, the municipality of Lety had removed a stone that had been installed on its property at the former Romani camp by the far-right National Party (NS). The stone with the inscription "To the Victims" was marked as a memorial to the victims of World War II. Romani organizations protested against the memorial, arguing that it demeans the Roma who perished in the labor camp during the war. They were also outraged by statements from NS representatives, who claimed the camp was merely a labor camp and that Roma died there from common illnesses.
NS considers the removal of the memorial a theft and intends to file a criminal complaint, as they sought for the stone to be recognized as a cultural monument, which Jandák has already rejected in advance.
"They are people and have the right to their opinion," the minister said today about the National Party. According to him, it was registered, its program was checked, and what it does is peculiar, Jandák stated. "Those people are not on my radar. Is it a party that threatens the security of the state? No, after all, how many of them are there," he added.