Anti-Roma protesters clash with opponents in Prague

Prague, Oct 1 (CTK) - Tens of anti-Romany demonstrators from Varnsdorf, north Bohemia, verbally clashed with protesters against racism at their rallies and during a march in Prague centre yesterday, but the police anti-conflict team prevented any brawls, dividing both groups.

Dozens policemen and a special riot unit were monitoring the events.

Police have detained two people at the demonstrations.

A 23-year-old who was chanting racist slogans faces an accusation of incitement of racial hatred. Another 24-year-old man was detained on attempting to mar the march of Varnsdorf inhabitants to the Government Office, police spokeswoman Andrea Zoulova said.

Some 60 people attended a meeting against racism and social exclusion that started on Palacky square in Prague at 13:00. It was also staged in protest against a demonstration challenging anti-discrimination and political correctness that inhabitants of Varnsdorf in the turbulent Sluknov border area scheduled at the same place at 16:00.

"This event should be an effort to make another voice be heard than the voice of organised racists, neo-Nazis and xenophobes," one of the organisers of the first rally, from the Alerta association, said.

The organisers also enabled people with different opinions to speak up at the rally. One young man, for instance, complained about a problematic cohabitation with Romanies at a housing estate in Prague.

A group of people headed by Lukas Kohout, organiser of anti-Romany meetings in north Bohemia, came to the spot at 15:00.

The inhabitants of Varnsdorf, who have been complaining about Romany crime, called on the opponents to take Romanies to their homes. They were chanting a slogan "Gypsies to Prague," said a CTK reporter who was on the spot.

Several Praguers came to support the anti-Romany protesters who mainly expressed indignation at the banners reading "Nazis, Go Away from Prague" and "Down with Nazis".

They denied having anything in common with neo-Nazism and the far-right Workers' Party of Social Justice (DSSS), successor to the outlawed Workers' Party (DS).

Nevertheless, one of the DSSS deputy heads was the first speaker at the anti-Romany rally and DSSS supporters were also among its organisers.

"These people want the government to take notice of it and finally start solving the problems of the Sluknov Hook," Kohout told reporters.

Participants in the anti-Romany demonstration could also sign a petition against lowering the prison sentence imposed on a Romany who beat up, robbed and raped a 12-year-old boy from a children's home in Krupka, north Bohemia, last year.

The anti-Romany demonstrators then marched to the government seat. The march was not officially announced beforehand but the City Hall gave consent to it.

Policemen were accompanying them to prevent direct clashes with their opponents.

The protesters from Varnsdorf were marching on the left bank of the Vltava River, while participants in the anti-racism rally were on the right bank.

The march culminated in a battle of words outside the Government Office.

The Varnsdorf inhabitants were chanting "We Are Not Racists, We Just Want Rule of Law" in reaction to their opponents' slogan "Racism Is The Problem". Both camps agreed on one joint slogan only: "Work for Romanies".

A coach to pick up the people from Varnsdorf arrived in the city centre at around 18:00 and the protest thereby ended.

Kohout said at the end that the protests would continue in north Bohemia on Sunday, and he thanked the DSSS for support.

Tension between Romanies and the majority population has been growing in the North Bohemian Sluknov border area, adjoining Germany and Poland, lately.

Anti-Romany demonstrations have been staged in Rumburk, Varnsdorf and other towns in the area since August in reaction to Romany violent attacks and other crimes. Demonstrators marching to Romanies' dormitories clashed with the police several times.

The situation in Sluknov escalated in mid-August when up to 20 Romanies assaulted six members of the majority population in Rumburk. Two weeks earlier a group of Romanies armed with machetes attacked people in a bar in nearby Novy Bor.

Right-wing extremist movements joined the anti-Romany rallies trying to abuse the situation to win political support.