Marked rise in number charged with extremist activities, though number of cases dealt with down in 2009

The number of people charged with extremist activities in the Czech Republic was 50 percent higher 2009 than in the previous year, according to a report Interior Minister Martin Pecina presented to the government on Monday. However, the number of recorded extremist crimes fell by about a fifth last year in comparison with 2008. Some 256 extremist crimes were recorded in 2009, representing 0.07 percent of all crimes dealt with by the Czech police. Most of those charged were aged between 21 and 39. The report found that more secondary school and third level graduates had faced charges, though it said the increase could not be regarded as a trend.