Current Affairs Neo-Nazis clash with police in Litvínov
On Monday the Czech Republic witnessed some of its worst street violence in recent memory when hundreds of right-wing extremists in the north Bohemian town of Litvínov clashed with Czech police. In the incident, Neo-Nazis veered away from a planned march and attempted to attack a nearby Roma suburb, highlighting long-growing tensions between the local Roma and non-Roma community. The battle lasted some three hours and led to several arrests and more than a dozen injuries.
Photo: CTK
Monday, November the 17th, Litvínov: smoke, thrown bottles, tear gas.
Scenes of chaos and violence came to the fore as police struggled to
subdue
the most aggressive demonstrators, some of them badly bloodied. Radicals
from around the Czech Republic, many of them supporters of the ultra-right
Workers’ Party had gathered in Litvínov for a planned protest march;
their attempt to storm the neighbourhood of Janov, largely populated by
Roma residents, set off the three-hour battle. Police in riot gear, some
of
them on horseback, had been given the strictest orders to prevent
Neo-Nazis
from breaking through and in the end they succeeded. Nonetheless, it was
one of the ugliest clashes involving the far-right, says Zdeněk Zbořil,
a
political scientist specialising in extremist movements. He himself was at
the scene:
Photo: CTK
“It was worse in person than on TV because many locals joined the
right-wing extremists. There were about 500 ultra right-wingers but
together with the locals there were maybe more than 1,200. They left in
the
final push for Janov, but showed support for the extremists until then.
They said that it was impossible to live next to the Roma, and that there
was absolutely no communication between the communities. So, things have
really escalated and in a way it’s ‘too late’. I’ve seen
demonstrations where radicals used the Hitler salute, but this is the
first
time I’ve seen such support from locals – this was something
different.”
Photo: CTK
Experts have been warning for years about growing right-wing extremism in
the Czech Republic, but radical political groups like the Workers’ Party
have so-far failed to make inroads into national politics. That doesn’t
mean they don’t have support in poorer or troubled areas, like in parts
of Litvínov, where tension between the Roma and non-Roma population has
increased. Some 300 Roma, were reportedly prepared to defend their turf on
Monday with sticks, while some of their would-be attackers were armed not
only with cobblestones, but also knuckle-dusters and other items. Had riot
police not intervened, uncovering dozens of weapons beforehand, the scenes
of violence could have been much worse. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry
is
considering implementing a ban on the Workers’ Party but not all agree
such a decision would be a good thing. Political scientist Zdeněk Zbořil
once again:
Photo: CTK
“In many ways banning them is the worst thing you can do because
you
lose control to see what the extremists are doing. A ban only drives them
underground and makes them much more difficult to monitor. And it
doesn’t
bring an end to their activities: they only re-group and come back under a
new name.”
A decision on the Workers’ Party could come later this week.
