Documentary on the attempted neo-Nazi pogrom at Janov

FAMU film student Tereza Reichová has created a documentary about last November’s events at the predominantly Roma-inhabited housing estate of Janov in the town of Litvínov. Last year a Workers’ Party demonstration there exceeded all previous neo-Nazi events when the extremists were supported during their attempted pogrom by a large number of people not normally involved with their organizations. The premiere of “Kruh – portrét demonstrace” (“Circle: Portrait of a Demonstration”) will be today, 7 September 2009 at the NoD club in Prague. The film reflects the opinions of four groups that participated in the conflict: Those who participated in the Workers’ Party march, those who participated in the counter-demonstration, journalists, and representatives of the police and the town of Litvínov.

The Workers’ Party demonstration that took place on 17 November 2008 in Litvínov was followed by a march by the Autonomous Nationalists on the Janov housing estate. Neo-Nazis clashed with police in the turning circle near the estate. The event was exceptional primarily because a large number of local residents joined the neo-Nazis. The extremists had never received as much sympathy from outsiders during any of their other actions.

The director filmed on the spot and then invited people who had participated in the demonstration to return to the turning circle a few months later, where she showed them the film of the events. One side of the circle was occupied by those who had participated in the Workers’ Party demonstration, the other by members of the Roma counter-demonstration, another by representatives of the town and police, and the last side was occupied by journalists. The title, “Circle”, refers to the place of the conflict, to its historical context, and to the complexity of the entire problem.

The premiere will be followed by a discussion between filmmaker Tereza Reichová, Ondřej Cakl of the organization Tolerance and Civil Society (Tolerance a Občanská společnost), Filip Láb of the Social Sciences Faculty at Charles University, and a representative of the Romea.cz news server.