Prague, July 2 (CTK) – Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (Social Democrats, CSSD) writes on Twitter Thursday that the police should explain why they did not intervene against opponents of immigration at a Wednesday demonstration, saying they must know that the gallows does not belong in democracy.
The gallows were carried by some participants in the protest rally.
Police Presidium spokeswoman Jana Macalikova told CTK that the carrying of the gallows is a new element that the police’s analytical-legislative department must assess and say how to proceed in similar cases.
“Everyone has a claim to their own opinion, but brandishing symbols like the gallows or threatening with death do not belong in the 21st century,” Chovanec said.
The demonstration against immigration and refugee quotas and for the withdrawal from the European Union was attended by some 700 people.
Around 20 supporters of immigration also came to Wenceslas Square and both camps were separated by the riot police. Several people were detained.
Chovanec (CSSD) wrote that he contacted the police already during the intervention and demanded a thorough investigation into it.
The situation during the police intervention was “absurd and bizarre,” Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (CSSD) told the server iDnes.cz.
“The police must stay neutral, but they must not tolerate racist attacks or threats by violence,” he added.
On their way to the Government Office, the demonstrators were chanting slogans like “The Czech Lands to the Czechs,” We are a nation” and “We are at home here.”
The participants warning among others of “hordes of sex-starved Negroes” carried dummy gallows with the inscription “For high treason” which, according to them some Czech politicians have committed.
The demonstrators often pronounced the name of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (CSSD).
An activist, Austrian citizen of Czech origin Philipp Janyr has filed a criminal complaint against lawmaker Tomio Okamura, from the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement, a strong opponent of immigration, musician Ales Brichta and journalist Adam Bartos, notorious for his anti-Semitic and extremist opinions.
According to Janyr, they committed several crimes, including inciting hatred of a group of persons, defamation of a nation or race and violence against a group of inhabitants and an individual.
He said it is not the same to promote an opinion and to incite people against religious or ethnic groups and to threaten with violence, in addition in an organised group, Janyr told CTK.
