Czech Republic: 1 500 people attend anti-Roma hate marches in eight towns

Roughly 1 500 people attended hateful anti-Roma demonstrations and marches in eight towns across the Czech Republic on 24 August. The most dramatic situation was in Ostrava, where hundreds of neo-Nazis attempted a pogrom against Romani residents.

Police in Ostrava stopped the neo-Nazis with tear gas and arrested more than 60 of them, with injuries reported on both sides. Neo-Nazis also organized anti-Roma protests in Brno, České Budějovice, Děčín, Duchcov (Teplice district), Jičín, Plzeň, and Varnsdorf.

About 1 000 people also participated in the counter-protests convened against intolerance and racism in several towns. For a timeline of all of the events of 24 August, please see:  http://www.romea.cz/en/news/czech/czech-republic-real-time-coverage-online-of-more-than-five-simultaneous-anti-roma-hate-marches 

In Brno, České Budějovice, and Duchcov, police prevented the right-wing extremists from entering Romani-occupied streets, arresting nine people in České Budějovice. In Plzeň, police did not permit the neo-Nazi demonstrators and counter-protesters to come into contact with one another, arresting about 25 people. 

Ostrava was the only location where the neo-Nazi protests became violent. According to a preliminary evaluation by Police Presidium spokesperson Ivana Ježková, police prevented people from being injured today and prevented property damage as well. "During our preparations we announced that we would fully respect the right to assembly, but should an assembly be exploited in order to suppress the rights of other citizens, or to commit any kind of incitement to hatred, we are prepared to intervene to ensure public order," she said.

The marches, entitled "Together against gypsy terror and police brutality", were convened by the neo-Nazi website Free Resistance (Svobodný odpor). Conveners of the events write on that website about "black racism" in the Czech Republic and about citizens allegedly being "harassed by violent gypsies." According to the online invitation to the events, the Czech government supports the "violent gypsies" and is not addressing the alleged problems with Romani people.

The Security Information Service (Bezpečnostní informační služba – BIS) of the Czech Republic said in its most recent quarterly report about developments on the extremist scene that anti-Roma sentiments among a portion of the public might become an even bigger problem with respect to state security than small groups of right-wing extremists are. BIS pointed out that ordinary citizens had participated on a massive scale in previous anti-Roma demonstrations this year in České Budějovice and Duchcov.

Roughly 1 000 people participated in the anti-Romani demonstration in Ostrava. About 600 – 800 neo-Nazis and their promoters, according to police, gathered on Prokešovo Square in front of the New Town Hall before setting out on a march through the town that was joined by other people.

The protest was a combined effort between the conveners of a demonstration entitled "Stop racial attacks" and the neo-Nazi "Czech Lions" movement. The right-wing extremists soon abandoned the route they had negotiated with officials for their march through the town and about 300 of them, armed with rocks and sticks, attempted a pogrom against Romani residents.

Riot police prevented the pogrom from being successful, but the unrest shut down public transportation. Rocks, smoke bombs, firecrackers and garbage cans were sent flying through the air, and police officers used tear gas several times.

Police arrested more than 60 neo-Nazis in Ostrava on suspicion of committing bodily harm, rioting, and violence against a public official. The most serious incidents took place at the intersection of Mariánskohorská and Nádražní Streets.  

The right-wing extremists did not make it to the place in Ostrava where a Romani assembly against neo-Nazism and racism entitled "Peace between people" had been held earlier in the day. Police estimate that about 600 Romani people gathered on Svatopluk Čech Square in front of the church there, having been brought to the location from various residential hotels in Ostrava by chartered buses.   

Police estimate that 250 – 300 people marched through the town of Duchcov in an anti-Roma demonstration today, while organizers claim a total of 700 people attended. After the event was officially ended, several dozen right-wing extremists took to the streets again, shouting slogans like "Stop black racism", but were unable to reach Romani-occupied buildings.

Protests against "black racism, police brutality and social injustice" were also convened by neo-Nazis in other places around the Ústí Region. In Děčín, roughly 80 people including about 40 neo-Nazis gathered peacefully for the event. An assembly of about 40 residents and four right-wing extremists also took place peacefully in Varnsdorf.

On Republiky Square in Plzeň, police estimate that roughly 150 right-wing extremists and their promoters gathered for the anti-Roma march convened by the neo-Nazi movement Free Resistance (Svobodný odpor) but only made it about 100 meters down their planned route. Police did not let them access a place where, earlier in the day, between 250 – 300 people had protested against racial violence, some of whom later left to attend religious services.

Bishop of Plzeň František Radkovský also attended the assembly against right-wing extremists to show his support for it. He said there is a need not only to protest against racial violence, but also to prevent hatred from spreading among ordinary citizens. "On the contrary, Romani people must be helped so they can have the same starting line in life that we do," he said. 

Of the approximately 25 people arrested in Plzeň, 20 were arrested while opposing the neo-Nazi march. Counter-protesters did not obey police instructions to move out of the way of the right-wing extremists.

The other people arrested in Plzeň had been participating in the neo-Nazi march. Police took them in for covering their faces.

The anti-Roma demonstration in České Budějovice was attended by roughly 100 people, police estimate. The march was a protest against the welfare system and alleged "black racism", sticking to its planned route, which meant it did not intersect with the Máj housing estate, where several anti-Roma protests took place earlier this year.

The České Budějovice march took place without clashing with police. After it was over, however, approximately 80 people moved onto the grounds of the Máj housing estate in front of V. Volf Street, where a large group of Romani people live, and a cordon of police riot units had to stop them from carrying out violence.

About 30 anti-Roma extremists marched through Brno for roughly a half an hour without first announcing their demonstration to authorities. Police riot units prevented them from entering Romani-inhabited streets.

"We had to direct the march so it would not proceed through localities where we didn’t want it. I think the march went off peacefully without public order being disrupted," Brno Police spokesperson Bohumil Malášek told the Czech News Agency. 

The Brno march was followed by about 60 anti-racist activists who announced a "happening" against racism and violence for the same time and place. While the right-wing extremists were shouting "Nothing but the nation", the anti-racists were answering with a response that rhymed (in Czech), "Nothing but the toilet".

Roughly 50 right-wing radicals and other people assembled in Jičín for an anti-Roma march. The event took place without public order being disturbed.

The Jičín event was convened by the Workers’ Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti – DSSS), which originally counted on between 100 and 300 people participating. A group of about 10 young people also gathered on Žižkovo Square to make their resistance to the right-wing radicals known through banners and loud whistling. Police officers kept the two groups apart.

In Prague about 50 people objected to all of these anti-Romani demonstrations and marches by holding their own "anti-Czech" parade through the city. The group satirically made fun of all the stereotypes associated with Czech people.  

The event was held by the "We Don’t Want Czechs in the Czech Republic" initiative (Čechy v ČR nechceme). The predominantly young group of people chanted "Stop the Czech tsunami!" and "We won’t give Bohemia to the Czechs!" 

The head of the parade featured the figure of a Czech cartoon character dressed in socks and sandals holding a beer and a plastic bag from a supermarket as the symbol of a typical Czech. The activists symbolically hung "the Czech" in effigy on the Rašín Embankment and ended their march with a concert.