Culture minister: sale of Lety pig farm is “done deal”
Czech Culture Minister Daniel Herman has announced an important
breakthrough in the government’s efforts to secure the buy-out of an
offensive pig farm in Lety, South Bohemia located on the site of a former
concentration camp where hundreds of Roma died in inhumane conditions in
WWII. The company that owns the farm has now agreed to sell it to the
state, opening the way for a dignified memorial to the victims to be built
on the grounds.
The presence of the farm at Lety has plagued several administrations but
after twenty years of largely futile negotiations, the Sobotka government
has finally been able to announce that a buy-out of the offensive pig farm
is a done deal. On Monday the majority of shareholders approved the
transfer of the pig farm to the state. Although details of the sale are
being kept under wraps, Culture Minister Daniel Herman, who has headed the
talks these past few months, said a contract should be signed by the
beginning of September at the latest.
“I want to thank our partners in these negotiations for their positive
approach and willingness to reach agreement. After the majority of
shareholders approved the sale, I see no more hurdles on the road to seeing
this matter settled. Once a contract has been signed we will be able to
release details of the agreement and anyone interested will be able to see
for themselves that this is a fair deal in every way.”
The minister was referring to speculation regarding the purchasing price
demanded by the owners of the pig farm, the company AGPI. Although neither
side has revealed the financial details of the agreement, on the grounds
that negotiations are still in progress, the news site idnes claims that
the purchasing price will not exceed 500 million crowns and a condition
attached by the owners is that the sale should take place ahead of the
October general elections.
According to the Czech Culture Ministry the property should in future be
administered by the Museum of Roma Culture. Its spokeswoman Kristina
Kohoutová welcomed the news that after years of futile efforts it would
finally be possible to move ahead with plans to build a dignified memorial
to the Romanies who suffered and died in the Lety camp.
“It is important to have a memorial at the Lety site, not just to honour
the victims but as a constant reminder of the ethnic cleansing that took
place there. We will of course take part in a broad debate regarding what
type of memorial would be appropriate.”
Some 1,300 Czech Romanies passed through the Lety camp during WWII; over
300 of them died there, while another 500 were deported to Auschwitz. The
need to create a dignified memorial at the site was raised soon after the
fall of communism and president Vaclav Havel was one of the strongest
advocates for the pig farm’s removal. In 2010 a memorial to Roma victims
of the Holocaust –a stone depicting a broken heart - was unveiled
close-by, but the stench from the near-by pig farm was a constant reminder
of a shameful problem unresolved.
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The minister was referring to speculation regarding the purchasing price
demanded by the owners of the pig farm, the company AGPI. Although neither
side has revealed the financial details of the agreement, on the grounds
that negotiations are still in progress, the news site idnes claims that
the purchasing price will not exceed 500 million crowns and a condition
attached by the owners is that the sale should take place ahead of the
October general elections.
“It is important to have a memorial at the Lety site, not just to honour
the victims but as a constant reminder of the ethnic cleansing that took
place there. We will of course take part in a broad debate regarding what
type of memorial would be appropriate.”
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