In this picture taken March 6, 2013, Zizkov television tower peaks over the skyline of Prague, Czech Republic. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Americans please take note, Czech Republic is a once-troubled yet entirely peaceful ally tucked into the heart of Central Europe.
Chechnya is a restive Russian region that survived its most recent spate of bloody violence just a decade ago.
It remains a simmering section of the Caucasuses, itself a swirling mix of ethnicities, cultures and language.
Please don’t confuse them, you’re really annoying the Czechs.
As a side note, Twitter users, please verify your information before hitting “tweet.” You have no idea how fast your missives – no matter how well intentioned – can spread misinformation.
To this we offer several tweets lamenting the fact two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings are from Czech Republic.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, and his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan were born in Chechnya.
The confusion caught fire in Czech Republic, with at least one newspaper suggesting intensified geography lessons for American students.
The Czech ambassador to the United States decided that the accussations had become so intense it was time to issue a statement.
Ambassador Petr Gandalovic said:
As more information on the origin of the alleged perpetrators is coming to light, I am concerned to note in the social media a most unfortunate misunderstanding in this respect. The Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities – the Czech Republic is a Central European country; Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation.
He also reaffirmed his country’s commitment to fighting terrorism.
Here are some of the offending tweets, and the reactions vis-a-vis this misunderstanding:
Czech that: Twitter users lament American geography
When news broke that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, and his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan were born in Chechnya, Twitter exploded with threats against the Czech Republic. Nobody is sure why.
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It was amazing to some that the Boston Marathon could be attacked by two nice boys from the Czech Republic.
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You better Czech yourself before you wreck yourself. #Boston
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It was even more amazing to others that many, many Twitter users mistook CZ for Chechnya.
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The Czech Republic is trending because idiots are confusing it with Chechnya. If you’re not sure whether to laugh or cry, cry.
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Maybe a map would help:
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I made an “infographic” to help my ‘Murican friends distinguish between Chechnya and the Czech Republic. pic.twitter.com/v4BjdTJUun -
Many removed the offending tweets, but others captured them for posterity’s sake.
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Some more ‘Muricans struggling to tell the difference between the Czech Republic and Chechnya #Watertown pic.twitter.com/5ylohtKwxb
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Others enjoyed retelling their encounters with the geographically challenged.
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This dude just said i hate people from Chechnya or Czech republic what ever its called. Im like you know those are two different countries.
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I’m glad to know my geography major was put to use to know the difference b/w Chechnya and Czech Republic #murica #thinkbeforetweet
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People think Chechnya and the Czech Republic are the same thing, you all are so stupid. No wonder why soany other countries hate us..
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Dear US idiots, Czechoslovakia doesn’t exist since 1993. Chechnya is approx. 2500 km away from Czech Republic. #Boston
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Dear Twitter. Chechnya is not the Czech Republic. Please refer to any map from the last decade. Or maybe try that Google thing. #bostonThis article originally was published at Global Post.
