Czech Republic: Fans of neo-Nazi band Ortel attack foreign-born food servers

Last Saturday evening several fans of the neo-Nazi band Ortel decided to visit the Wei Wei restaurant in the Czech town of Plzeň, which serves Vietnamese cuisine. The fans were heading to a concert taking place 100 meters away at the Restaurace Alfa, and before leaving Wei Wei, they assaulted the people who served them.  

According to news server krimi-plzen.cz, the fans first started an argument with the food servers and then physically attacked them. A friend who was also a foreigner ran to the aid of the staff.  

Several neo-Nazi youths fell upon him and beat him up to such an extent that he had to be treated in hospital. The assailants then went to the Ortel concert.

"In the matter of the attack on two people, a woman (age 31) and a man (age 36), criminal proceedings have been initiated for the offenses of hooliganism and assault. Both victims had to seek medical aid and were treated in Plzeň Hospital. During the course of the investigation, three persons were summoned to provide statements and were then released on their own recognizance," Jana Tomková, press spokesperson for the police, told news server Romea.cz.  

The leader of the Ortel band has distanced himself from the assault on the restaurant’s staff. The band has long presented itself as just a "rock" group, but its xenophobic lyrics, its demonstrable connection with the neo-Nazi scene, including support for the now-defunct Workers’ Party and its successor, the Workers’ Social Justice Party (DSSS), as well as its direct participation in an anti-Romani march in Plzeň, are proof of its actual focus.