Four anti-Nazi actions planned for 1 May in Brno, support for blockade increasing

1 May 2011 in Brno is going to be lively. In response to a march announced by proponents of neo-Nazism and racism, several gatherings of respectable people are going to be held. Those attending will be local Roma people as well as Roma from around the country, activists, other opponents of Nazism and racism, artists, and church representatives and members. The four events are: A nonviolent blockade of the march, a gathering at the Museum of Roma Culture featuring a concert, a street-theater performance, and an ecumenical religious service.

Nonviolent blockade

Obviously the most important of the anti-Nazi actions will be the non-violent blockade organized by the BRNO BLOCKS Initiative (Iniciativa BRNO BLOKUJE). The blockade will take place in Cejl street. The street is accessible from all directions, including from the Museum of Roma Culture in Bratislavská street, where another anti-Nazi action will be taking place. By all accounts it would probably be best if those who want to participate in the blockade met between 12:00 and 13:00 at Malinovské Square (Malinovského náměstí) near the bus and train station at the head of Cejl street. The blockade itself should start at 13:00 in Cejl street.

Do not be afraid to file criminal charges if police lie to you

According to information provided to news server Romea.cz by an anonymous source very familiar with police plans and the goings-on inside that institution, the police will probably attempt to block access to Cejl street and to allow only people who reside there to enter the street. Should that take place, our source tells us the police would be breaking the law: Police only have legal authorization to intervene at the moment that the blockade of the properly announced and permitted march takes place, not before.

“I recommend that everyone participating in the action against the DSSS [party] march insist on his or her right to freedom of movement along the sidewalk of any and every street. Naturally, police officers will claim they have the right to stop anyone or to prevent anyone from accessing specific places, but this is an intentional lie used by police around the world. I would not be afraid to write down the service badge number of that officer and to file criminal charges against him or her, or if necessary a civil suit demanding damages, including for the cost of medical treatment should officers violently prevent people from accessing the place and injure someone. I would not rely on the Police Inspectorate investigating such incidents, should they occur – it would be a miracle if they were to really investigate,” the source told us.

State institutions knowingly assist attempts to overthrow democracy

Police officers also do not have the right to remove people from the sidewalks who just want to watch the neo-Nazi march. “In Krupka, police officers drove local residents back into their homes. By doing so, they committed the crimes of restricting personal freedom and abusing the powers of a public official,” said František Kostlán of the ROMEA civic association.

Kostlán says violations of law were committed in Nový Bydžov and Krupka not just by police officers, but were also deliberately committed by ministerial and municipal officials who wanted to assist the neo-Nazis at any cost and terrorize their opponents: “The greatest violation of the law occurred when they did not disperse the neo-Nazi assemblies in Nový Bydžov and Krupka on the spot, even though the neo-Nazis were unambiguously espousing hatred against Roma people at those events through chauvinistic and racist slogans. The mayors and registrars of both municipal authorities bear direct responsibility for that. Police not only kept quiet about this violation of the law, they protected those chanting racist slogans after they had given their speeches and cleared the way for their march by brutally attacking respectable people. The commander of the police maneuvers and his superiors bear direct responsibility for that, while the Czech Interior Ministry officials who gave the police methodological leadership bear indirect responsibility. Those officials virtually invented a way of getting around the law so the officers could disperse a religious gathering using their truncheons – including the beating of two clergy – to make way for the neo-Nazis.”

Kostlán believes these actions by state institutions in Nový Bydžov and Krupka unequivocally show that those institutions are siding with those who want to overthrow democracy and institute a totalitarian regime. He argues that through its actions, the state has unintentionally legitimated resistance both against extremists and against the state institutions working hand in hand with them. Nonviolent blockades are one form of that resistance.

“Because state institutions have intentionally violated the law on behalf of the totalitarian forces, the state can no longer be relied upon to protect democracy and human rights. However, we are not entirely powerless. According to the Constitution, we have the right to resist anyone who would destroy the democratic order of human rights and fundamental freedoms should the activities of the institutional authorities or the effective enforcement of the law be incapacitated. That is precisely the case here. The state institutions have been assisting in activities intended to destroy the democratic order and human rights protections and facilitate the subsequent rise of an authoritarian or totalitarian regime. I must emphasize here that given the willful violation of the law, it is obvious that the state institutions are participating in this effort at regime change consciously and intentionally. There is, therefore, only one solution, and that is to take the situation into our own hands,” Kostlán said.

Enormous support for the blockade

More and more celebrities are supporting the nonviolent blockade and a number of the most famous have linked to the BRNO BLOCKS initiative on their websites. The filmmaker, journalist and Czech Senator Jaromír Štětina will be attending the blockade in Brno. “I will come to Brno on 1 May. It is necessary to clearly say NO to the Nazis!” he said.

The Czech Freedom Fighters’ Union (Český svaz bojovníků za svobodu) has also recommended its members participate in the blockade: “We recommend our branches and their members participate in this blockade. As many respectable people as possible need to come together to erect a barrier against these neo-fascist and neo-Nazi sprees, and members of the Czech Freedom Fighters’ Union decidedly belong among them.”

Jakub Patočka, Editor-in-Chief of the daily Deník Referendum, said the following: “This provocative Nazi march is trampling on the human dignity of the least-liked and most vulnerable minorities. All movements desiring to establish a National-Socialist dictatorship begin in exactly this way. Participation in the nonviolent blockade of these unconstitutional provocations by [DSSS party chair] Vandas is the least each of us can do to make sure the Czech Republic does not soon find itself in a situation like that of Hungary or worse.”

The actress Táňa Fischerová will probably not come to Brno, but she unequivocally supports the blockade: “It is always necessary to protect the most vulnerable. They are always the first targets of groups promoting violence. This is a test of our values. If we remain silent, we will just be the next targets in line. Brute force and threats are unacceptable and must be rejected in any form.”

According to sociologist Jiřina Šiklová, “Big problems start out as small ones. Right now, demonstrations of dissatisfied young people carrying neo-Nazi and racist symbols might seem to be merely some sort of dubious urban legend. That’s the way people once laughed at Hitler. In Vienna they once laughed at Horst Wessel, and in this country they laughed at the crazed supporters of Henlein. That is why it is necessary to demonstrate, in a peaceful way, our condemnation of such actions.The greater the indifference of everyone else, the faster neo-Nazi aggression rises. They consider indifference to be fear, and it increases their self-confidence.”

Religious gathering

On Malinovské Square (Malinovského náměstí), where some participants in the blockade are planning to meet before departing for Cejl street, Ecumenical Worship for the overcoming of violence will begin at 12:30. Volunteers from several Brno churches are preparing the services.

“As Christians, we are disturbed by the growing activities of neo-Nazis and we have therefore decided to gather for an ecumenical religious service to overcome the violence of neo-Nazism. The aim of the service is to stand up against violence through the power of prayer, to show our rejection of extremism, and to carry on the Decade to Overcome Violence announced in 2001 by the World Council of Churches,” the website of those organizing the services reads. The service is being supported by the chair of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic, Joel Ruml, a synod elder of the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren.

Culture against apathy

Another protest event is being planned by the “We Don’t Want Neo-Nazis in Brno!” Initiative (Iniciativa V Brně neonacisty nechceme). This will be a symbolic protest action and cultural program at the Museum of Roma Culture, located at the corner of Bratislavská and Hvězdová streets. The event will be held indoors. According to the most recently-agreed march route, the extremists should not pass by the building. This initiative has been supported by the Jewish Community of Brno. “Who else if not us should support it?” the Initiative quotes their chair Pavel Fried as saying. The action will start at 11:00.

Other opponents of neo-Nazism are preparing a theatrical “happening”. “Dear Friends, someone is daring to destroy the beauty of the budding Spring! On 1 May the sympathizers of neo-Nazism will march through Brno. The Nazis are like scarecrows – their numbers multiply when they succeed in hectoring others and decline when no one makes a fuss over them. Come join a group of clowns, comedians, conjurers, nuts, jugglers and thespians for a street theater happening that expresses just how sick the stupidity of some of our fellow human beings makes us,” their invitation on Facebook reads. Further details are not yet available, so keep an eye on Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/M%C3%A1jov%C3%A1-romance-divadeln%C3%AD-happening-proti-pochodu-neonacist%C5%AF-Brnem/197406733628115 (Májová romance / divadelní happening proti pochodu neonacistů Brnem).

The neo-Nazi action

Information to date suggests that the neo-Nazis will start gathering at Koliště Park at 11:00 AM and their action will start there at 13:00. They will then march along the following streets: Koliště, Milady Horákové, Merhautova, Jugoslávská, Vranovská and Cejl. This route encircles places where Roma people live in Brno. Representatives of Brno City Hall are attempting to reach agreement with those who have convened the march on changing its starting point. City registrar Pavel Loutocký says the park is not the most appropriate place from a security point of view. The demonstration and march are taking place “Against the Invasion of Foreign Workers and the Exodus of Our People”.