Two injured as Czech police, far-right radicals clash in Litvinov

Two people, a policeman and a demonstrator, were injured when the police and far-right extremists clashed during the latter’s rally in Litvinov today, and another six people have been detained as weapons were found in their cars, local police have told CTK.

The right wingers from the Workers’ Party (DS), the Autonomous Nationalist movement and the National Resistance Movement presented their rally as a response to alleged attacks by Romanies on patrols from the DS’s "protective corps" monitoring the situation in Janov, local housing estate with prevailing Romany population.

Earlier today, a few dozens of extremists managed to bypass the police units on alert and attack a group of local Romanies, but the police managed to prevented a clash, dispersing the extremists.

Up to 200 Romanies with rods and sticks gathered in Janov, awaiting some 300 far-right extremists marching towards the area.

The police barred the right-wingers’ way in an effort to prevent a conflict.

A part of the extremists circumvented both the policemen and the crowd of Romanies and used stones and sticks to attack the latter from behind.

The police managed to disperse them in the last moment.

The situation has calmed down now, after most right-wingers left the town.

Already after the ultra-right extremist leaders’ speeches elsewhere in the town earlier today, Litvinov Mayor Jiri Stovicek banned the meeting and ordered its dissolution.

In their speeches, the leaders criticised the alleged discrimination against the far-right Workers’ Party (DS) and voiced their disapproval of the current establishment.

They chanted slogans such as "the Czech Lands to the Czechs" and "Stop Black Racism."

After Stovicek banned their meeting, the demonstrators attacked the police who took measures to prevent them from marching to Janov. A conflict flared up.

The extremists started throwing cobblestones, bottles and other things at the police officers who tried to disperse them using crackers and a water cannon.

The right-wingers later made their getaway and set off for Janov.