Czech Republic: Ultra-right wants their freedoms to trump those of others

Some Romani residents of Ostrava have decided to demonstrate against the violence to which they are very often subjected there. Most recently a Romani youth was beaten up in the Moravská Ostrava – Přívoz municipal department.

"As nationalists in Ostrava we object, which is why we are supporting with all our might any spontaneous actions against the gypsy demonstration planned for 6 December 2014 at 13:30 at the New Town Hall in Ostrava," reads one neo-Nazi website. The ultra-rgiht is reacting to the fact that Romani people are daring to demonstrate for their rights at all.

The neo-Nazis evidently believe Romani residents are not entitled to take such actions. "They don’t have the right to breathe, to say nothing of marching," a "nationalist" user of Facebook has clarified.

By "spontaneous action", the neo-Nazis mean actions organized as propaganda. It’s not that they don’t know what the word "spontaneous" means, but they are trying to say those demonstrating against the Roma are doing so without anyone pressuring them.  

"Now listen up and think about yourselves, all you Facebook and pub-going fighters who haven’t done anything for two years. Now they will be expanding here… they have enough money to do it," Pavel Matějný, the organizer of recent anti-Romani actions fighting for "racial purity" in the offline world, has now posted to Facebook.

This reproach of his is part of the "spontaneity" the neo-Nazis are now brandishing. While the right-wing extremists believe they are permitted to demonstrate against Romani people, they believe the reverse is not the case.  

If the Romani residents dare to do such thing, then they must be confronted – that is the message being sent to them by these "heroes marching under the swastika." The organizers of the Romani demonstration are also preparing a conference where they intend to discuss racism and elect representatives to negotiate on their behalf with representatives from both Ostrava City Hall and the municipal departments.

What’s more, the Romani residents are announcing in advance that their demonstration will be non-violent. The Facebook invitation says "the action will be of a non-violent, peaceful character."

"We are protesting against violence, so we cannot lower ourselves to using any form of violence. We should be primarily concerned with improving mutual coexistence between people from the majority and minority. We want to call on everyone to collaborate on a common solution to these burning problems so we can begin improving the situation in society," Miroslav Rusenko of the Romani Democratic Party told news server Romea.cz.

We have now been reminded what these Czech "nationalists" imagine a democracy is. They believe their freedoms should trump those of others.