People of Prague Protest Meeting of Hate Group ENF

Prague, Dec 16 (CTK) – Czech speakers at a protest against a conference of European anti-immigrant parties held in Prague today rejected the rightist populists for taking advantage of a resistance wave and not having any reasonable political programme.

 

Representatives of parties from the Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF), which is the smallest group in the European Parliament including the French National Front of Marine Le Pen and the Dutch Party for Freedom of Geert Wilders, arrived in Prague on Friday. Their arrival was accompanied by protests, too.

 

A conference of the ENF group started at a hotel in a southeastern suburb of the city this afternoon.

 

Hundreds of protesters marched to the hotel with banners against the politics of hatred and fear. Their blocked the access roads to the hotel.

 

Before the crowd started marching to the hotel, several speeches were delivered. Former Czech ambassador in France Petr Janyska said extreme right parties that instigated hatred and divided society were an increasing threat. Former dissident Fedor Gal remembered the Holocaust.

 

Outside the hotel they whistled, booed and shouted at the incoming visitors to the conference that is organised by the Freedom and Democracy (SPD) movement of Tomio Okamura which won 22 MPs in the 200-seat lower house of Czech parliament in the recent elections.

 

The organisers previously said the protest would be calm and its aim would be to make it unpleasant for the participants in the conference to get to the hotel.

 

Some of the speakers at the rally argued that Okamura was a liar.

 

The speakers also included Hayato Okamura, the SPD leader’s brother. Hayato Okamura entered Czech politics recently. He said he made the step to show so that the name of his family would not only be connected with fighting Islam and immigrants.

 

The entrance to the hotel and its interior is guarded by men hired by the SPD.

 

Dozens of Czech police officers and a helicopter are patrolling the area. Prague police spokesman Tomas Hulan said no intervention has been necessary so far.

 

Islamic radicals openly called for the death of Wilders who is known for his anti-Islam speeches. The Dutch police asked the Czech Foreign Ministry to provide protection for Wilders.