Bratislava/Prague, June 21 (CTK) – A total of 41 of the 60 Czechs whom the Slovak police detained on Saturday in connection with a Bratislava demonstration against the influx of immigrants into Europe are suspected of breach of the peace, the police told CTK yesterday.
According to previous information, the police took a total of about 140 people to a police station on Saturday evening. They were caught provoking violent incidents after the demonstration ended.
The Czech Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Michaela Lagronova told CTK that the ministry has information about the detention of more than 40 Czech citizens at various places in Bratislava.
Out of them, the police have already released 21 and another 21 are waiting in a detention cell, Lagronova said.
Several thousands of people attended the demonstration under the motto Stop Islamisation of Europe in the centre of Bratislava on Saturday. There were several groups of Czechs, including football fans, among the participants.
Still before the start of the demonstration, the police detained several participants who had dummy explosives and cold weapons, most often knives.
After the demonstration, a 300-strong group of the participants attacked the spectators of a cycling race in the Bratislava Castle complex. The police yesterday said they detained 27 people in connection with the incident.
Petr Lessy, the Czech police attache in Slovakia, said there were no Czechs among those detained at the Bratislava Castle.
Elsewhere in Bratislava, the police intervened against rioters damaging several police cars. Forty-five people were detained.
Incidents also occurred at the Bratislava Main Railway Station, where, for example, masked extremists threw stones at a family coming from Saudi Arabia.
Slovak police spokeswoman Tatiana Kurucova said the investigation of the riots still continues. The police are analysing the audio and video recordings provided to them by people and the media.
Under the Slovak law, a sentence of up to three years in prison may be imposed for breach of the peace.
Civic activists have condemned the violent incidents and regret at them has been expressed by parliament chairman Peter Pellegrini.
Interior Minister Robert Kalinak said the police coped well with the situation and intervened against the rioters rapidly.
rtj/mr
