Interior minister on raves: police would step in again

Interior Minister Frantisek Bublan has told journalists that if a rave was held now in the Czech Republic and the law was being broken, police would step in again. Mr Bublan made the statement while visiting the Tachov region on Friday, the site of a controversial rave attended by some 4,000 people in July, an event broken up forcibly by police. On July 29th, concluding that private property was being damaged, 1,000 officers in riot gear brought the rave, known as CzechTek, to an end using tear gas and water cannons. Dozens of those in attendance, as well as officers, suffered minor injuries.

On Friday, the interior minister met with local majors and other officials in the Tachov region, saying he will propose new legislation in September regarding rave events. The new bill, he said, will require organisers to submit a list of conditions for approval, with municipalities reserving the right to ban. The Interior Minister indicated he would like the bill to come into law as early as possible, next spring.