Hundreds demonstrate in Prague against fascism and racism, criticizing "Freedom and Direct Democracy" (SPD), Germany's AfD, and the billionaire Musk
Hundreds of people demonstrated in the center of Prague on Saturday, 22 March against the increase in racist and xenophobic sentiments in society and the rise of the far right. The event was organized by the Together Against Racism and Fascism initiative (Společně proti rasismu a fašismu).
The demonstration was supervised by police, who stopped traffic during the procession. It began around 14:00 CET in front of the Rudolfinum on Jan Palach Square (náměstí Jana Palacha).
According to the Czech News Agency (ČTK), songs with anti-fascist lyrics were played over loudspeakers before the event began. Participants held banners reading “Our values are under the rubble of Gaza,” “We are all descendants of migrants,” or “Give a voice to Turkey”, written in Turkish.
The demonstrators carried Palestinian and Turkish flags. Some said in their speeches that Russians are discriminated against in the Czech Republic.
Although some Russians living in the Czech Republic disagree with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies, they are being affected by the measures introduced in the Czech Republic after Russia’s full-fledge invasion of Ukraine. After the speeches, the participants marched to Jungmannovo náměstí.
The marchers stopped in front of the Dunaj Palace on Národní třída, which houses the European Commission’s representation in the Czech Republic, where they gave critical speeches. The procession ended in front of the CEVRO University headquarters on Jungmannovo náměstí, where people chanted: “Throw out ODS” [referencing the governing Civic Democratic Party] and “Fiala, how can you sleep at night, children in Gaza are starving.”
CEVRO is a private university. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) was a member of the CEVRO academic council from 2007 to 2020.
The event ended shortly after 17:00 CET. “This year’s demonstration is particularly important because the danger of fascism is growing all over the world. One particularly worrying signal is the normalization of fascist symbolism, including high-ranking political figures or billionaires such as Elon Musk giving the Nazi salute,” said one of the initiative’s members, Martin Šaffek.
Musk, an advisor to US President Donald Trump, raised his right arm during a speech after Trump’s inauguration in January. Critics and some supporters called Musk’s gesture a Nazi salute.
The organizers also oppose the far-right, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) as well as Tomio Okamura’s SPD and the Motorists party in the Czech Republic. According to the organizers, the demonstration was also supported by the organizations Prague4PalestineYouth, the Czechoslovak Anarchist Association, Socialist Solidarity, the Antifascist Platform of the Left Party (Levice), the Young Greens, a World Without Wars and Violence, and Universities for Climate.
What you need to know
Hundreds of people demonstrated in Prague against fascism, racism and the ultra-right.
Their criticism targeted politicians from the “Freedom and Direct Democracy Party” (SPD) in the Czech Republic, the AfD in Germany, and Elon Musk.
The event warned against normalizing hatred and authoritarian tendencies.
Starting at the Rudolfinum in Prague, the march ended outside CEVRO on Jungmannovo náměstí.
