Neo-Nazis heading to Czech town for anti-Romani demonstration

The ultra-right extremist Workers’ Youth (Dělnická mládež – DM) is convening a protest this Sunday in Břeclav to support a 15-year-old boy who was brutally beaten by three allegedly Romani men over the weekend there. The boy has been hospitalized and is in critical condition. Up to 1 000 people are expected to attend the event, which will culminate in a march through the center of town. Břeclav municipality spokesperson Eliška Windová informed the Czech Press Agency of the upcoming march today.

The march is announced as beginning at 9:00 AM CET and lasting until 20:00 on Sunday. It will start at the main train station in Břeclav. “The announcers met the legal requirements for the event to take place. For the time being there is no reason to ban it,” the town spokesperson said.

The DM is an offshoot of the ultra-right radical Workers’ Social Justice Party (Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti – DSSS). Sunday’s march was originally planned under completely different circumstances – friends of the beaten boy wanted to hold a “March for Little Peter and Our Security” and announced the event on Facebook. Almost 1 000 people promised to attend it. During the ensuing online discussion, the issue of who should take up organizing the demonstration was raised. The DM then officially announced to the town hall that it was convening the protest.

The DSSS has already condemned the attack on the boy. “Given the fact that a large number of citizens are turning to us with requests for help about this case, the Workers’ Party is prepared to support all events held in support of the beaten boy,” DSSS Vice-Chair Jiří Štěpánek told the Czech Press Agency today. Numerous Romani organizations have also condemned the incident.

Petra Vedrová, a spokesperson for the South Moravian Police, told the Czech Press Agency today that police are following the circumstances around the protest and will take appropriate security measures on Sunday. Yesterday Mayor of Břeclav Oldřich Ryšavý (Czech Social Democrats – ČSSD) warned against the event turning into an anti-Romani demonstration. He also called the assailants “human beasts” who must be apprehended.

The boy was assaulted by three men on Sunday evening. He testified that they were dark-skinned. One reportedly asked him for a cigarette. When the boy said he didn’t have one, the men beat him brutally. The boy telephoned his mother, who took him to the hospital, where he was operated on immediately. Doctors removed one of his kidneys and said his liver is also damaged. His mother told the media that the assailants were not interested in money, because they did not rob her son. Allegedly they just wanted to take their aggression out on him. The perpetrators face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.