Czech extremists apply for series of demonstrations in Litvinov

Petr Kotab, deputy chairman of the Czech far-right Workers’ Party (DS), submitted applications for a series of demonstrations at the Litvinov town hall today, Kotab told CTK.

The demonstrations that will be held under the slogan "for the dismissal of Litvinov’s mayor and corrupt officials" are announced for the period from December till the end of April 2009.

However, regardless of the applications, the party’s decision not to hold any action in Litvinov until January 15, 2009, is still in force, Kotab said.

On Monday, the Litvinov town hall also accepted an application for a demonstration against racism and for the solution to the situation at Litvinov’s Janov housing estate mainly populated by Romanies.

The town hall has a three-day deadline to express its stand on the announced events. It banned ten of such demonstrations in the past week.

Apart from the extremists, people who are dissatisfied with the situation at Janov and the Romany Christian Association have called their demonstrations.

The Jewish Liberal Union earlier announced to the town hall its events for the period from the end of November till May 2009. Its representatives submitted a new application on Monday.

"I have submitted the application to the town hall for December. However, it is still true that we will give the town hall and the government time until January 15 for resolving the situation at the Janov housing estate," Kotab said.

If the town leadership and the state failed to resolve the problem no ban would prevent meetings of DS members and supporters in support of decent residents of Janov, he said.

He said that a discussion between DS representatives and residents of Janov, announced for December 13, will take place.

"We will then light candles near the motorway entrance to the housing estate where police prevented us from continuing our announced march on November 17. It will be a commemorative and symbolic event and not a meeting," Kotab told CTK previously.

The Litvinov town hall believes that the goal of the demonstrations announced by Kotab earlier could be aimed at suppressing citizens’ personal or political rights concerning nationality, sex, race or belief, town hall secretary Alexandra Sixtova said.

Previously, demonstrations organised by far-right radicals provoked unrest in Litvinov. The extremists marched towards the Janov housing estate on October 4 and 18 and on November 17. The latest march developed into sharp clashes with the police during which 16 people were injured.

A total of 14 applications for meetings, demonstrations and marches have been submitted to the Litvinov town hall since.

Jewish Union representatives announced their event on November 21 and other organisers announced them later. All the organisers can appeal the town hall decision within 15 days at the Usti nad Labem Regional Court, Sixtova said.

Police do not underestimate the situation and are prepared for possible actions even if they have been banned, Most police spokeswoman Ludmila Svetlakova said.