Over hundred people protest in Prague against anti-Semitism

Over a hundred people took part in a meeting in protest against anti-Semitism, held in Prague today, that included a march through the centre of the city and a rally in the upper house garden named All of us are people.

The event, organised by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, took place for the fifth time this year.

The organisers say it would be enough for the evil to triumph if decent people were doing nothing.

The participants in the meeting, accompanied by traditional Jewish songs, carried posters condemning racism, and also carried Israeli and Czech flags.

Oldrich Stransky, a former Czech inmate of the Oswiecim (Auschwitz) concentration camp, wore the camp inmate’s clothing on this occasion.

The ongoing rally in the Valdstejnska garden, surrounding the Senate building, is to be addressed by Slovak EU commissioner Jan Figel, Senate chairman Premysl Sobotka and Czech Jewish Communities’ Federation secretary Tomas Kraus.

The march and the following rally are held to outweigh events organised by right-wing extremists.

The organisers say the Czech Republic ranks among the countries with a relatively low number of violent displays of anti-Semitism. On the other hand, intensifying political efforts by ultra-right groups can be registered, including their attempt to stage a march through Prague’s historical Jewish Quarter last November, on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, an anti-Jew pogrom in Nazi Germany.