Prague, March 29 (CTK) – About 500 people protested against the approximation between the Czech Republic and China at the Kampa island in the centre of Prague yesterday, not far from the Liechtenstein palace where Czech politicians were meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Xi Jinping arrived for a three-day visit to the Czech Republic on Monday.
The protesters in Kampa carried Tibetan flags, a large banner with a red-coloured photo of Mao Zedong and a heart with a photo of former Czech president Vaclav Havel and the Tibetan Dalai Lama on it.
Like on Monday, a parallel demonstration was held in Kampa by supporters of China. About 50 of them appeared, carrying large Chinese flags.
They tried to overshadow the flags and banners held by the opponents of Beijing, but the latter used telescopic rods for their banners to reach high and be visible.
The police kept the two groups of demonstrators separate.
No incident, except for verbal clashes, accompanied the two parallel demonstrations.
After two hours, about 400 protesters set out for Pohorelec, a square near the Prague Castle, to continue the demonstration with a silent rally.
The crowd has been led to Pohorelec by the police, based on their agreement with the protest organisers.
Xi Jinping is to attend a ceremonial dinner at Prague Castle tonight.
rtj/dr/kva
