Locals don’t want the DSSS in Trmice and are preparing a “surprise” for them

Police officers and town halls across the Ústí nad Labem region are getting ready for the election campaign of the Workers’ Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti – DSSS) in the region. The party has planned several electoral rallies for Friday and Saturday in towns which feature socially excluded localities. Locals are preparing a “surprise” for the DSSS promoters but are not specifying details. Police representatives told the Czech Press Agency yesterday that patrols will be enhanced at all locations and additional forces will be called in if necessary.

The Trmice town hall has joined the efforts to prevent a conflict between local Roma and the DSSS. Roma in Trmice were under the impression that a right-wing extremist march was being planned and were said to be preparing defenses. Mayor Jana Oubrechtová said she met with representatives of the Roma community and did her best to explain to them that no march is planned.

In cooperation with the local Roma association Romano Jasnica and the “We Don’t Want (Neo)Nazis in Ústí” Initiative, the town of Trmice has succeeded in calming the fears of the local Roma. The Initiative is also doing its best to convince non-residents not to travel to Trmice on Friday to see DSSS party chair Vandas speak. The Romano Jasnica association and the Initiative jointly designed a flyer on the issue which is being mailed to all the residents of Trmice.

“When we learned the Nazis were coming to Trmice, we wanted to do something, not just stick our head in the sand,” Martin Cichý of Romano Jasnica told the news server Romea.cz. The association and the Initiative are planning activities for Friday 7 May. “Trmice was part of Ústí nad Labem until very recently, and for us they continue to be a part of the town. That means the Nazis’ meeting will not go according to plan,” Miroslav Brož, spokesperson for the Initiative, told Romea.cz.

Brož said all of the events organized by Romano Jasnica and the Initiative will be completely non-violent and will help to reduce the tensions created by the arrival of the (neo)Nazis in localities inhabited by Roma. “There is a large Roma community in Trmice, and the co-existence and relations between the Roma and the majority society are good. Relations here could serve as a good example for some other towns in Northern Bohemia,” Brož said.

In Krupka, the next town on the DSSS tour after Trmice, tensions have existed for quite some time between right-wing extremists and the Roma. The Workers’ Party (Dělnická strana – DS), the predecessor to the DSSS, has held events in Krupka before.

Last Sunday, the husband of the chair of the local DSSS cell in Krupka used a gas pistol in an incident which police are investigating as a misdemeanor. “For the time being we are investigating how the scuffle started, who was the victim and who was the assailant. It is possible that the case will be reclassified based on the results of the investigation,” Teplice police spokesperson Ilona Novotná told the daily MF DNES.

Daniel Vítek, also a spokesperson for the Teplice police, told the Czech Press Agency today that police officers have no information for the time being about the threat of any clashes this weekend. However, they will be prepared to augment patrols in Krupka.

On Saturday, DSSS representatives will head to the towns of Litvínov and Most. Ludmila Světláková, spokesperson for the police in Most, said they have no information about any possible clashes on the weekend. She also said police are not taking any extraordinary measures as they did for previous Workers’ Party events, when they searched the vehicles of people traveling to the rallies. On 17 November 2008 police had to intervene against a march by right-wing extremists on the Janov housing estate in Litvínov that took place after a Workers’ Party gathering there.