Czech organizers cancel wrestling match featuring Hitler-tattooed neo-Nazi in response to protests

Organizers have cancelled a match featuring the Hungarian neo-Nazi Attila
Petrovszki that was supposed to be part of a martial arts tournament Friday, 17
May at the Sparta Arena in Prague. During the course of Thursday, 16 May, more
and more people protested his participation, with the City of Prague, Czech
Television, and the Pražská energetika (PRE) electric company all distancing
themselves from the tournament.

"We hereby announce that, as the organizers of the tournament, we have
decided to remove that match from the start of Heroes Gate 10. Our decision is
based on the strong media pressure against our company and our partners. The
fighter concerned was offered to us by his manager as an appropriate participant
for our gala evening. He was chosen on the basis of his sporting performance and
statistics. Unfortunately we were not informed of his tattoos, which we honestly
never even thought to ask about,” the tournament organizers said in a statement
sent to news server iDNES.cz.

The Anti-Fascist Action (Antifašistická akce) group drew attention to the
participation of controversial wrestler Attila Petrovzski in the tournament. The
information was publicized by news servers iDNES.cz and Romea.cz.

The organizers’ statement also claims that Attila Petrovszki is no longer an
active neo-Nazi, according to his manager. "Attila Petrovszki grew up in a wild
environment where he was under the influence of various groups. He once held
certain convictions, but that’s all behind him. He actively devotes himself to
sport and wants to put his past behind him, which is why the match was not
cancelled immediately. Today we were supposed to have a meeting with the fighter
and his manager to verify this, but unfortunately that won’t take place now. We
believe we live in a democratic society which should give people who have made
mistakes during their lives a second chance. That is why our company is
dedicated to sport and to organizing events like this. We are doing our best to
attract children and young people from various social groups and of various skin
colors to sports and to expand their horizons. We are not in favor of just any
form of promotion, nor any form of restrictions,” the organizers said.

Attila Petrovszki, who openly espouses neo-Nazism, has tattoos on his body of
Adolf Hitler, a swastika, and the inscription “Death to the Jews”. The PRE
company distanced itself from the event prior to the organizers’ announcement
cancelling it. Previously the firm had claimed it would be satisfied if the
organizers could guarantee the athlete would wrestle in a body suit that covered
the provocative images.

"In connection with other matters that have come to light during yesterday
evening and today with respect to the start of Hungarian competitor Attila
Petrovszki at the Heroes Gate tournament on 17 May 2013 at the Sparta Arena…
Pražská energetika has decided to withdraw from its partnership with this event
and has insisted the organizers remove all of the advertising materials
connected with this event that feature the Pražská energetika logo,” Petr
Holubec, the PRE spokesperson, told news server Romea.cz.

The event was supported until the last moment by the Prague 9 municipality.
The chair of the District Committee for the Czech Union of Freedom Fighters-Kladno,
Gabriela Havlůjová, issued an open letter calling on the mayor of that municipal
department to clearly condemn the participation of Hungarian neo-Nazi Attila
Petrovszki.

"I demand that you, as the representative of the Prague 9 municipal
department and as a person of firm convictions condemn the participation of this
athlete in this event and express your position on neo-Nazism thereby,”
Havlůjová wrote. The Prague 9 leadership did not distance itself from the event
until after the organizers announced it was cancelled.

About an hour after the information was published that the organizers were
cancelling the match, Deputy Mayor of Prague 9 Adam Vážanský sent the following
statement to news server Romea.cz, which had been authored that morning: “Mayor
Ing. Jan Jarolím and the Prague 9 council call on the organizers of the Heroes
Gate tournament to remove the Attilla Petrovszki match from the program of the
event being held on 17 May in the Sparta Arena…. If the organizers do not do so,
the Prague 9 Municipal Department will immediately withdraw its support for this
event and publicly distance itself from it. The Prague 9 Municipal Department
unequivocally condemns all manifestations of Nazism, Fascism, or similar
movements suppressing human freedom.”