200 neo-Nazis march on Czech town, police confiscate pepper spray, truncheons

Organizers from the ultra-right Workers’ Youth (Dělnická mládež – DM)
association, which is linked to the ultra-right Workers’ Social Justice Party
(Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti – DSSS) experienced disappointment over
their assembly today in the Czech town of Přerov. Instead of the anticipated 700
radicals, only about 200 DSSS promoters showed up, according to the Romea.cz
correspondent at the scene.

According to those who convened the gathering, this was to be the main 1 May
assembly for their movement this year. Police are claiming there were eventually
a total of 450 right-wing extremists in attendance, while the Czech Press Agency
reports there were 300.

The ultra-right radicals also invited colleagues from Slovakia to the event.
Several hundred police officers were on hand, a police helicopter conducted
aerial surveillance, and mounted officers were also in reserve.

Policie confiscated pepper spray and truncheons from some of the
demonstrators. A brawl broke out later at the train station that was unrelated
to the ultra-right event.

DSSS representatives led by their chair, Tomáš Vandas, met on the central TGM
Square just after 14:00 today. Vandas gave the same speech he has been giving,
with minor modifications, at all of the party’s rallies since 2008.

"Nothing new, it’s still the same speech,” the Romea.cz correspondent
reported from the scene just after 14:30. After Vandas, the head of the Slovak
Solidarity group (Slovenská pospolitost) and DSSS vice-chair Jiří Štěpánek also
spoke.

FOTOGALERIE

The Přerov daily has reported that the registrar at the Přerov town hall,
Jiří Bakalík, said all of the political speeches were standard. In his view, no
manifestations of extremism were on display during the gathering.

When the speeches were done, the demonstrators gathered in Kratochvílova
Street and set out on a roughly two-kilometer “exercise march” through the town.
The Romea.cz correspondent reports they were carrying banners at the head of the
parade reading “Out of the Crisis = Out of the EU” (Pryč z krize = Pryč z EU).
He did not notice any conflicts taking place during the march.

The demonstrators did not target Romani localities with this particular event
as they normally do. From TGM Square they walked down Kratochvílova Street,
Komenského, Havlíčkova and Čechova streets, across Šířava Street to Žerotínovo
Square and then along Wilsonova Street back to TGM Square.

"The route does not pass through any socially excluded localities and is not
advertised as a march against Romani people,” police coordinator Michaela
Sedláčková announced prior to the start of the demonstration. Nevertheless,
Romani residents displayed a significant degree of nervousness in their parts of
town, leaving their homes and coming into the streets to see what might happen.

Shortly after 16:00, the DM and DSSS march made it back to TGM Square and the
event was officially over. The riot police then relocated to the train station,
as many local Romani people live nearby.

The sole incident of the day took place there. “Two local citizens aged 39
and 22 attacked a man who had not been participating in the march. The older man
punched him, he fell to the ground, and the younger man kicked him. The man was
taken to the hospital and both assailants were detained,” said Sedláčková.

Police later clarified that the conflict had nothing to do with the ultra-right
march and had been the settling of a personal dispute between the assailants and
the victim. The Přerov daily reported that the two assailants were Romani and
the victim was allegedly a member of the Antifa movement.

The incident sparked tension in the local Romani locality, with roughly 50
Romani people coming out of their houses to see what was happening, but in the
end everyone calmed down and dispersed. Police will remain to monitor the
situation into the night.

March spoils traditional 1 May celebration in Přerov

Since the right-wing radicals had properly reserved the center of Přerov back
in November, the town hall had to cancel its traditional 1 May celebration there.
Several public transportation lines were also re-routed for as long as four and
a half hours because of the march.

The Social Democrats also had to cancel their traditional 1 May rally on
Žerotínovo Square. Cars were not allowed to park along the march route and all
garbage containers were removed from it.

The DSSS event has cost the taxpayers no small amount of money. “This is the
biggest security operation taking place on the entire territory of the Czech
Republic today. Seven Regional Police Directorates are participating. Besides
the Olomouc and Zlín Region, they include police from Pardubice, Hradec Králové
and Prague. The measures involve 700 police officers, including the Zlín Mounted
Police, the regional special riot forces, and logistical support teams,”
operations commander Libor Krejčiřík told the Přerov daily.

Přerov knows what ultra-right marches are like, as a similar event took place
there two years ago, also secured by 700 police officers. In 2009 the
demonstration was attended by about 700 people who ended up assaulting the
police officers deployed.