Prague, April 9 (CTK) – About 250 supporters of the Czech extra-parliamentary radical National Democracy (ND) demonstrated in Prague Saturday against the migration policy pursued by Prague and the EU, and further 400 people attended a symbolic blockade of three border crossing for similar reasons.
The blockade of the Czech-German border crossings in Kraslice and Cinovec and the Czech-Austrian crossing in Ceske Velenice was organised by Dawn – National Coalition, which is a small opposition party, together with the extra-parliamentary Bloc Against Islam and representatives of Pegida, a German anti-migrant movement.
Out of the three border crossings, the largest number of protesters met in Cinovec, where over a half of them came from Germany. They included representatives of Pegida.
In Ceske Velenice, the rally was addressed by Bloc Against Islam leader Martin Konvicka, whom a state attorney charged with fomenting hatred of the Islamic religion by his statements on Friday.
Konvicka, together with Dawn lawmaker Marek Cernoch, called on the Czech government to start defending the Czech border, otherwise it should resign.
Following the speakers’ appearances, the protesters symbolically blocked the respective border crossings for several minutes and then left.
The police did not have to intervene.
Speeches similar to those at the border crossings could be heard at the rally the NG staged outside the headquarters of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka’s Social Democratic Party (CSSD) in the centre of Prague.
In his speech, ND chairman Adam B. Bartos criticised CSSD leaders for their approach to tackling the refugee crisis.
They betrayed their own voters who want no aliens in the Czech Republic, Bartos said.
“We would not allow our nation, with its thousand-year history, to be destroyed either by an invasion by illegal aliens or a group of amateurs, good-for-nothings and traitors,” Bartos said.
The police suspect Bartos of unlawful fomenting of hatred and inciting to a restriction of people’s rights in connection with a March demonstration in Prague where he called for “the supreme penalty” for politicians.
Saturday, he said he is not threatening politicians with a “bullet,” since it would be too merciful a punishment. He said the traitors should be jailed and forced to work.
The demonstrators carried banners with mottos such as “Sobotka, repeat after me, the Czech citizen, Czech family, Czech country and the right wing stand above all” or “On the path to hell together with Sobotka, the EU and Merkel.”
They waved Czech and ND flags and flags reading We Do Not Want Islam in the Czech Republic.
After two hours, the crowd set out for the Old Town Square where they chanted “We don’t want multi-culti,” and some of them verbally attacked foreign tourists.
When the police intervened, several dozens of the participants left for the Wenceslas Square. After another two hours, they ended their protest outside the nearby seat of the EC mission. The police detained one of them who sprayed the mission’s shop window with cream.
