Rightists extremists meet in Prague's centre

Some 100 rightist radicals met at the appeal of the Autonomous Nationalists at the Palackeho square in Prague where they want to symbolically bury the freedom of speech and democracy today.

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Rightists extremists meet in Prague’s centre (iDNES.tv)

The rally was watched by tens of riot police.

One of them told CTK the police had agreed with the organisers that the radicals would stay on the square and would not march to any different place in Prague.
Under their agreement, the rally was to last about 30 minutes. The demonstrators were all dressed in black and they brought a symbolical wooden coffin to the square.

The rally was is t highlight the violation of civic rights and freedoms that occurred, in the extremists’ view, on November 10, 2007, when the Prague authorities and police prevented the planned march of neo-Nazis through the former Jewish Quarter in Prague on the anniversary of the 1938 Kristallnacht in Germany.

The demonstrators unfolded the banner saying: "When will you start dispelling the Communists, Langer?," alluding to what they call a lenient position of Interior Minister Ivan Langer (the Civic Democratic Party, ODS) to Communist rallies.

The speakers said the freedom of speech was being suppressed in the Czech Republic and described the "modern era of darkness" in which those disrespecting the official views were persecuted.

"We are for arguments instead of bans and we want the freedom of speech," one of the speakers said amid general applause.

Prague Mayor Pavel Bem said earlier today that the City Hall reconsider its openness to the freedom to rally at Palackeho square. "I do not think it is good for any group advocating and disseminating Nazism and neo-Nazism to have an opportunity of rallying without any punishment, while Prague is, in a way, contributing to this," Bem said.