Czech Republic: "Change for Plzeň" to counter-protest neo-Nazis tomorrow

"Change for Plzeň" (Změna pro Plzeň) will participate in Saturday’s civil "Happening for a Society without Prejudice", as it considers it a moral norm characteristic of a mature democracy for a political party to express a clear position against destabilizing tendencies in society. News server Romea.cz publishes the party’s statement on tomorrow’s march by right-wing extremists in full translation below:

Statement of "Change for Plzeň" on Saturday’s march by right-wing extremists

"Change for Plzeň" will participate in Saturday’s civil "Happening for a Society without Prejudice", as it considers it a moral norm characteristic of a mature democracy for a political party to express a clear position against destabilizing tendencies in society. "Change for Plzeň" is therefore joining the activities of the "Plzeň against Racism" and "We Don’t Want Nazis in Plzeň" initiatives.

"Change for Plzeň" rejects all manifestations of discrimination or racism and sees tomorrow’s march as one of these. The party advocates equality and non-violent solutions for all social problems.

"Change for Plzeň" sees such solutions as being targeted work with communities or constructive dialogue with all parties to any dispute. The party promotes the path of active civic engagement, in which citizens actively participate in the running of the state and the writing of the laws, and therefore naturally cannot tolerate or remain passively indifferent to any attempts, through either covert or overt tendencies, to destabilize our common solidarity.   

We consider the activities of the ROMEA civic association to be a beneficial way to increase Romani ethnic identity, which will lead to more direct participation in the common life of the Czech Republic. The vague concept of "decent citizens" and the mendacious charges that this civic association is racist cannot be acknowledged as the real reason for tomorrow’s protest assembly by these crypto-Fascist, neo-Nazi groups who intend to suppress human rights and freedoms, and our conscience demands that we not ignore it.