The number of anti-Ukrainian and anti-Russian violent incidents in the Czech Republic has increased since the Russian invasion of Ukraine; last year they accounted for 22% of the cases of prejudiced violence recorded by In Iustitia, according to the analysis released to CTK yesterday by the NGO.
In the years before the war, these two categories combined comprised at most 5%. According to In Iustitia, the number of cases reflects the resistance of some segments of society to helping refugees, as well as the influence of disinformation in support of Russia. The authors said the results do not represent a complete set of all cases, but only a sample of them. They noted that prejudicial incidents are often not reported to the police.
“Since 2022, we observe a significant increase in anti-Ukrainian and anti-Russian incidents,” the NGO said. “While between 2015 and 2021 these categories of incidents together accounted for at most 5% of all bias incidents recorded in a given year, in 2022 it was 19% and in 2023 it was 22%. Between 2022 and 2024, as of 12 February 2024, anti-Ukrainian incidents outnumbered anti-Russian incidents.”
In Iustitia recorded a total of 45 anti-Ukrainian and 14 anti-Russian incidents in the reporting period. There were 16 anti-Ukrainian and 14 anti-Russian incidents in 2022, 27 attacks against Ukrainian nationals and none against Russians last year, and two anti-Ukrainian incidents so far this year.
“Attacks due to Russian nationality happened exclusively in the first two quarters of 2022, with all but one of them in the first quarter. They can therefore be described as a retaliatory response to Russian aggression against Ukraine,” the authors said.
However, anti-Ukrainian attacks are gradually increasing. According to the authors, the development reflects the resistance of part of society to refugee aid and support for Russian imperialism under the influence of disinformation.
Verbal attacks were involved in three-quarters of the anti-Ukrainian and half of the anti-Russian incidents. Half of the anti-Ukrainian attacks then involved physical violence. In two-fifths of the anti-Russian incidents, attacks were directed at property.
Three-fifths of the anti-Ukrainian and four-fifths of the anti-Russian incidents took place in Prague. The victims were of various ages, including children. The identity of the anti-Ukrainian attackers was mostly known, while the opposite was true for the anti-Russian attackers.
