Czech Interior Ministry appealing municipal decision on gallows at anti-refugee hate demonstration

The Czech Interior Ministry is appealing a municipal decision finding that those who brought mock-ups of gallows to a demonstration last year did not commit any wrongdoing. Prague City Hall will now be addressing the dispute.

Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec explained the ministry's plans on a Czech Television program today, indicating that the dispute could end up at the Supreme Administrative Court. The case concerns a demonstration against migration last year to which a man brought mock-ups of gallows.

According to the recent decision by the Prague 1 Municipal Department, the incident did not constitute a misdemeanor. Police officers did not intervene against the demonstrators, a position considered correct by the Czech Police Presidium and an internal audit.

Chovanec previously said the conclusions of the police audit "legitimize gallows at demonstrations" and that he does not intend to reconcile himself to that fact. "For the time being I have not succeeded and I am appealing to City Hall because I believe this does not belong to the culture of democracy," Chovanec said today.

He asserts that he has analyses available indicating the man's behavior constitutes a felony. A similar administrative dispute has also taken place regarding a case of eggs being thrown at Czech President Miloš Zeman.

The Prague 2 Municipal Department first decided the egg-throwing did not constitute a misdemeanor, but Prague City Hall returned the matter to them for review along with a legal opinion stating that such behavior corresponds to a misdemeanor against civil coexistence. The two persons involved in that incident were ultimately convicted of rioting.