Czech court sends neo-Nazis behind bars for attempted murder

The Regional Court in Ceske Budejovice today sentenced a 20-year-old Czech extremist to 12 years in prison for the attempted murder of a young man who reprimanded him for shouting Nazi slogans in public.

In May, 2008, Lukas Vorobel stabbed Jakub Sterbik who rebuked him and his friend Martin Vachta for giving the Nazi salute and shouting racist slogans in Strakonice, south Bohemia.

Although Vorobel did not kill Sterbik the man has been paralysed since the stabbing and he still has health problems even after many months of treatment and rehabilitation.

Vachta was sentenced to three years in prison for an attempted bodily harm. According to the state attorney, he cut Sterbik’s friend with a knife when the latter tried to prevent the attack.

The two men have been charged with the promotion of movements aimed at suppressing people’rights.

Apart from extremist public expressions they also have Nazi symbols on their bodies. Vachta, for instance, has an SS symbol tatoo on his body and Vorobel has a swastika burned into his chest.

According to the state attorney, Vorobel and Vachta were shouting Nazi slogans "Sieg Heil" and "Jews to Gas" and were giving the Nazi salute in Strakonice on May 10.

When Sterbik reprimanded them Vorobel stabbed him in the neck with a knife from behind. Sterbik’s friend tried to help him and Vachta cut him with a knife.

Forensic expert Zdenek Zboril told journalists today that the amount of items confiscated at the flats of the two convicts was really amazing.

"It is the largest number of materials linked to neo-Nazism and Nazism ever confiscated. It is a collection that has been amassed with maniacal persistence," Zboril said.

A reasonable person would not have filled up his home with almost 1200 items linked to Nazi ideology, he said.