Accused Czech extremists members of National Resistance - police

CeskeNoviny.cz,  12.06.2009 

Prague - All ten Czech extremists accused of staging concerts promoting Nazism and fascism are members of the neo-Nazi National Resistance movement, police organised crime squad (UOOZ) chief Robert Slachta told reporters today.

The accused men have organised 11 such concerts since April 2008.

The National Resistance is one of the two strongest ultra-right groups in the Czech Republic. It promotes anti-Semitism and superiority of the white race, follows the ideology of national socialism and uses symbols and colours referring to Nazi Germany.

Its supporters also often take part in events organised by the ultra-right Workers 'party.

On Tuesday Czech police conducted a raid aimed against people linked to extremist groups. The raid was connected with the concerts the right-wing radicals organised. Ten people linked to extremist groups were detained.

The police searched flats, cars at several places in the Czech Republic and a shop in Prague.

UOOZ spokesman Pavel Hantak said the raid was the culmination of the UOOZ's activities aimed at the extremist scene that continued for several months.

The concerts where extremist slogans were allegedly chanted took place all over the Czech Republic until February. The police prosecute their organisers and performers.

If found guilty, the accused men face up to eight years in prison for support and promotion of movements aimed to suppress human rights and freedoms.

Server iDnes.cz reported that the neo-Nazi association Radicalboys from Most, north Bohemia, released on its website an internal police document with detailed instructions for the raid against rightist radicals.

The detained extremists are aged 24 to 42, the police say.

A court remanded five of them in custody on Thursday to prevent them from influencing witnesses and continuing criminal activities. Another five radicals are prosecuted without being taken into custody.

Their lawyer Kolja Kubicek previously claimed that the accusation is "unlawful, nonsensical and entirely invented."