Czech Republic: March against racism cancelled in Prague

Andrej Lučka, a well-known Romani activist from Rokycany, called for a demonstration against racism in Prague today in response to the assault on a Romani youth in Ostrava. The event was scheduled for 11 AM on Wenceslas Square and was originally supposed to march through the center of Prague to the Office of the Government.

The demonstration ended early due to low turnout. According to a correspondent for news server Romea.cz, there were only six demonstrators, the same number of police officers and several journalists at the scene until just before noon.

"There will only be a march if we have at least 50 people," Mario Rusenko of the Romani Democratic Party told news server Romea.cz shortly after 11:30. A total of 20 people ultimately showed up, but only 13 of them were Romani.

Organizers ended the event early just after 12:30 due to the low turnout. The Prague demonstration was to have primarily been held in honor of all victims of racism, from the racist murders of the 1990s to the recent attack on the Romani youth in Ostrava.