Czech Republic: Neo-Nazis try to provoke local Roma in Přerov during 1 May protest

An assembly and march by about 30 neo-Nazis from the National Regeneration (Národní obroda – NO) group took place yesterday in Přerov. The leader of the NO, Pavel Matějný, gave a speech very similar to those he has given to previous such assemblies.

Matějný’s speech attacked domestic nonprofit organizations such as Konexe and ROMEA, the European Union, NATO, and refugee reception. When the speeches were over, the march left the square and marched past the bus and train station.

Riot police guarded the area around the station. A police monitoring vehicle also followed the march the entire time.

The neo-Nazis attempted to provoke local Romani residents by marching directly past their homes. Local Romani crime prevention assistants contributed to making sure there were no conflicts.

"The guys have been here since 9 AM and have gradually been visiting families to warn them this march will be going past their homes. They have done their best to make sure no conflicts happen," Pavel Grim, who works as a mentor for the crime prevention assistants with the Municipal Police there, told news server Denik.cz.

"We have previously monitored the activities of this convener and we anticipated a low turnout. Our security measures were set up according to that. The riot officers were just here as backup, the situation outside was monitored by uniformed officers and members of the anti-conflict team," Michaela Sedláčková, the Contact Officer for National Minorities at the Regional Police Directorate in Olomouc, told news server Denik.cz.