Katerina Jacques
Encyclopedia
Kateřina Jacques (ˈkatɛr̝ɪna ˈʒak) (born ) is a Czech
Green Party
politician. She was elected to the lower house
of the Parliament of the Czech Republic
in the June 2006 election
, representing the Prague
electoral district. Before the election she was director of the human rights section of the prime minister's office.
She gained media attention when she was assaulted by a policeman while protesting against a neo-Nazi rally on May 1, 2006.
Kateřina Jacques was born Kateřina Pajerová in the central Bohemia
n town of Mělník
. Her father is Ota Pajer, a photographer and brother of the documentary photographer Alan Pajer; her older sister is Monika MacDonagh-Pajerová
, a diplomat and political activist.
After finishing secondary school in 1990, she worked as an au pair
in Germany
while studying at the Free University of Berlin
. She met her French
husband Christian Jacques there, and they lived together for a year (1997–1998) in Strasbourg
, where she studied. She used the surname Jacques-Pajerová for a time, but later adopted his family name Jacques without the suffix -ová, which is customary in the Czech language
for female surnames, when this was allowed by a change in the Czech registry law. They have two children, Nina (born 1994) and Sebastian Maxmilian (born 1995).
From 1994 to 2002 she studied political science and German translation at Charles University in Prague, working as a translator and interpreter during her studies. Her master's thesis
Comparison of Palacký's
interpretation of selected themes in Czech and German edition of his »Czech History« (Srovnání Palackého výkladů vybraných témat v českém a německém vydání jeho »Českých dějin«) won the university's Bolzano Prize. After graduation she worked in the German Academic Exchange Service
. In 2006 she gained a professional doctorate in political science.
Since 2003 she has worked in the Czech government's office. In 2005 she was appointed cabinet director of deputy prime minister Pavel Němec. A year later she became director of the office for human rights and equal opportunities.
In April 2005 at a seminar about national minorities Jacques defended a government promotional campaign against racism
, which was criticised for advocating integration of the Roma people.
Kateřina Jacques joined the Green Party in spring 2005 and was elected to the central revision committee at their congress in August 2005. In the primary election in January 2006 she received the second eligible place on the Green ticket, just after chairman Martin Bursík
. The Green Party places emphasis on representation of women, and the young and photogenic Jacques was featured in Prague election campaign posters and was accompanied by Bursík on billboards
of the Green Party. She received 6,926 preferential votes (11.46 % of the total for the Green Party), 185 more than Bursík, so she overtook him in the order for assigning mandates.
On May 1, 2006, neo-nazist
Národní odpor (National Resistance) announced a demonstration on Palacký Square in Prague, which wasn't banned by the authorities despite human rights activists' objections. A group of Green Party members participated in the protest actions at the place guarded by police, which separated neo-nazis and their opponents. When they followed departing National Resistance members to Karlovo náměstí
, Jacques got into conflict with the police officer Tomáš Čermák from the local police department, which had relieved hoplites from special police forces. Čermák claims that he used compulsory means (when arresting her), when Jacques did not comply to his prompts to stop provoking violence; according to her and several witnesses, she was beaten without justification. Video footage broadcast subsequently showed that Čermák repeatedly beat her on the ground while other police officers were present and did nothing. She did not seem to pose any threat to Čermák on the video. Čermák also tried to ban journalists of taking any pictures of the incident and his colleagues were later accused of trying to stand purposely in the view of the journalists so that no clear pictures of the incident could be taken. One photographer was detained and escorted to a police station.
Hana Marvanová, a member of the Parliament for the Freedom Union–Democratic Union declared that she witnessed the incident from a tram, which had stopped nearby. She said she saw one of the policemen suddenly run towards a woman and drag her down to the ground. She did not see the beating because other policemen surrounded them.
There was a strong public reaction when the video was broadcast; Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek
said that the behaviour of the police was unacceptable. An investigation by The Ministry of Interior found that Čermák should be prosecuted on three charges: abuse of authority, injury, and restraint of personal freedom. On August 9, 2006 Čermák asked the President for a pardon. Čermák was found not guilty by the first level court. In the following trial, Čermák's case was brought by the state prosecutor to appeal court which finally confirmed the first level court's decision. On August 23 Čermák's advocate Jaroslav Janeček sued Kateřina Jacques for assaulting a policeman (together with her colleague Petr Slunéčko), false allegation, and false testimony. He also claimed that the incident was arranged by her to draw attention to herself and her political party before the election.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
Green Party
Green Party (Czech Republic)
The Green Party is a political party in the Czech Republic.The party was founded in February 1990 but for a long time it struggled to obtain significant influence in Czech politics. In the 2002 legislative election the party received 2.4% of the vote...
politician. She was elected to the lower house
Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic
The Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of the Czech Republic. The seat of the Chamber of Deputies is situated in palaces in Malá Strana, Prague....
of the Parliament of the Czech Republic
Parliament of the Czech Republic
The Parliament of the Czech Republic is the legislative body of the Czech Republic, based in Prague. It consists of two chambers, both elected in direct elections:* the Lower House: Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic...
in the June 2006 election
Czech legislative election, 2006
Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic on 2 and 3 June 2006.The pre-election campaign was fierce and mostly negative. A major scandal broke out few days before the election. The two largest parties had profited from the divisive campaign – both had obtained the highest percentage...
, representing the Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
electoral district. Before the election she was director of the human rights section of the prime minister's office.
She gained media attention when she was assaulted by a policeman while protesting against a neo-Nazi rally on May 1, 2006.
Biography
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n town of Mělník
Melnik
-Places:Bulgaria* Melnik, Bulgaria, a town in Bulgaria* Shiroka Melnishka Losa, a Bulgarian wine grape also known as MelnikCzech Republic* Mělník, a townUnited States* Melnik, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community...
. Her father is Ota Pajer, a photographer and brother of the documentary photographer Alan Pajer; her older sister is Monika MacDonagh-Pajerová
Monika MacDonagh Pajerová
Monika MacDonagh-Pajerová is currently the chairperson of the pro-European organization ANO pro Evropu and lecturer at NYU in Prague. During the 1989 Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, Pajerová served as the official spokesperson for University Strike Committee and was a founding member of the...
, a diplomat and political activist.
After finishing secondary school in 1990, she worked as an au pair
Au pair
An au pair is a domestic assistant from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a small monetary allowance for personal use...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
while studying at the Free University of Berlin
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
. She met her French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
husband Christian Jacques there, and they lived together for a year (1997–1998) in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, where she studied. She used the surname Jacques-Pajerová for a time, but later adopted his family name Jacques without the suffix -ová, which is customary in the Czech language
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
for female surnames, when this was allowed by a change in the Czech registry law. They have two children, Nina (born 1994) and Sebastian Maxmilian (born 1995).
From 1994 to 2002 she studied political science and German translation at Charles University in Prague, working as a translator and interpreter during her studies. Her master's thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
Comparison of Palacký's
František Palacký
František Palacký was a Czech historian and politician.-Biography:...
interpretation of selected themes in Czech and German edition of his »Czech History« (Srovnání Palackého výkladů vybraných témat v českém a německém vydání jeho »Českých dějin«) won the university's Bolzano Prize. After graduation she worked in the German Academic Exchange Service
German Academic Exchange Service
The German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD is the largest German support organisation in the field of international academic co-operation....
. In 2006 she gained a professional doctorate in political science.
Since 2003 she has worked in the Czech government's office. In 2005 she was appointed cabinet director of deputy prime minister Pavel Němec. A year later she became director of the office for human rights and equal opportunities.
In April 2005 at a seminar about national minorities Jacques defended a government promotional campaign against racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, which was criticised for advocating integration of the Roma people.
Kateřina Jacques joined the Green Party in spring 2005 and was elected to the central revision committee at their congress in August 2005. In the primary election in January 2006 she received the second eligible place on the Green ticket, just after chairman Martin Bursík
Martin Bursík
Martin Bursík is a Czech politician. Bursík has twice served as Minister of Environment and is also former chairman of the Green Party.- Early life and education :...
. The Green Party places emphasis on representation of women, and the young and photogenic Jacques was featured in Prague election campaign posters and was accompanied by Bursík on billboards
Billboard (advertising)
A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...
of the Green Party. She received 6,926 preferential votes (11.46 % of the total for the Green Party), 185 more than Bursík, so she overtook him in the order for assigning mandates.
May Day incident
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
Národní odpor (National Resistance) announced a demonstration on Palacký Square in Prague, which wasn't banned by the authorities despite human rights activists' objections. A group of Green Party members participated in the protest actions at the place guarded by police, which separated neo-nazis and their opponents. When they followed departing National Resistance members to Karlovo náměstí
Karlovo námestí
Karlovo náměstí is a Prague Metro station on Line B. Its name is Czech for "Charles Square", after the plaza to which it is adjacent. The station has two exits, one leading to Charles Square and the other to Palacký Square , both of which are major tram hubs.-Station characteristics:Karlovo náměstí...
, Jacques got into conflict with the police officer Tomáš Čermák from the local police department, which had relieved hoplites from special police forces. Čermák claims that he used compulsory means (when arresting her), when Jacques did not comply to his prompts to stop provoking violence; according to her and several witnesses, she was beaten without justification. Video footage broadcast subsequently showed that Čermák repeatedly beat her on the ground while other police officers were present and did nothing. She did not seem to pose any threat to Čermák on the video. Čermák also tried to ban journalists of taking any pictures of the incident and his colleagues were later accused of trying to stand purposely in the view of the journalists so that no clear pictures of the incident could be taken. One photographer was detained and escorted to a police station.
Hana Marvanová, a member of the Parliament for the Freedom Union–Democratic Union declared that she witnessed the incident from a tram, which had stopped nearby. She said she saw one of the policemen suddenly run towards a woman and drag her down to the ground. She did not see the beating because other policemen surrounded them.
There was a strong public reaction when the video was broadcast; Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek
Jirí Paroubek
Jiří Paroubek is a Czech politician, who served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 25 April 2005 to 16 August 2006. He was also Chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party , but resigned from his position immediately after the result of the 2010 Legislative Election was announced...
said that the behaviour of the police was unacceptable. An investigation by The Ministry of Interior found that Čermák should be prosecuted on three charges: abuse of authority, injury, and restraint of personal freedom. On August 9, 2006 Čermák asked the President for a pardon. Čermák was found not guilty by the first level court. In the following trial, Čermák's case was brought by the state prosecutor to appeal court which finally confirmed the first level court's decision. On August 23 Čermák's advocate Jaroslav Janeček sued Kateřina Jacques for assaulting a policeman (together with her colleague Petr Slunéčko), false allegation, and false testimony. He also claimed that the incident was arranged by her to draw attention to herself and her political party before the election.
External links
- http://www.katerinajacques.cz – official website
- Photographs and a video of the incident
- The video at a news server in WMV format