Two small Roma children had to be taken to Poprad hospital after somebody shot them in the town’s borough of Matejovce. The doctors had to remove bullets from their legs.
The case is already being investigated by the police, the TVnoviny.sk website reported.
“The police launched a criminal prosecution for the crime of bodily harm,” said Daniel Džobanik, spokesperson for the Prešov police, as quoted by the regional Korzár daily. “Since the investigation is underway we cannot provide more details.”
Problematic borough
One of the reasons for the attack might be the problems between the inhabitants of the Matejovce borough, where numerous Roma live. The locals are often complaining about noise and problems caused by children.
However, the situation has never escalated to the point that somebody would shoot them, said Poprad’s spokesperson Marián Galajda.
The town’s representatives have recently adopted several steps to prevent problems. Apart from the municipal police, the local civic patrol is active in the borough. In case of need the state police can also come in and address situations, Galajda told the TASR newswire.
The attack was criticised by Government’s Proxy for Roma Communities, Ábel Ravasz.
“I don’t want to generalise, but I cannot be blind to the parallel between the approach of the majority towards the Roma,” he wrote in a Facebook post, adding that it is up to us to find the best way how to learn to live beside one another. “If we divide in two groups and approach one another impersonally, I’m afraid that the number of such radical ‘solutions’ will increase.”
He is sure that a similar approach will not solve any problems.
