March of extremists staged in Central Bohemia, two detained

The Czech police detained two participants in a march of extremists staged in Neratovice today since they were wearing fascist symbols, police spokeswoman Radomila Felgrova told CTK.

Some 100 extremists took part in the one-hour permitted march organised by the National Corporativism organisation.

The detained men will be accused of support for and promotion of movements leading to the suppression of human rights and freedoms, Felgrova said.

Police also detained another participant in the demonstration for driving a car without a licence.Some 300 policemen monitored the march of right-wing extremists. The police also watched localities inhabited by Romanies who cancelled their planned ball in fears of incidents.

The extremists chanted nationalist slogans during the march, though the organisers claimed they staged the demonstration in protest against the devastation of the environment.The organisers ended the march at the moment when police intended to interfere. The participants then dispersed. Some of them have already left the place.

The National Corporativism (NK), established in 2004, has some 200 members in the 10-million Czech Republic.

According to the Interior Ministry, it is one of the organisations monitored over far-right extremism. Human and civic rights activists say that the NK is a nationalist organisation.
Czech supporters of extremism now rather organise public demonstrations, using the right of assembly, instead of private parties, following the trend in Western Europe, said Michal Mazel from the Interior Ministry.