Thousands rallied against neo-Nazism in Prague as Czech police prevented a right-wing extremist march.
A high court had banned Saturday’s march through the city’s Jewish Quarter by neo-Nazis on the anniversary of Kristallnacht.
Instead, thousands of Jews and their supporters turned up for a Sabbath prayer by Chief Rabbi Karol Sidon and speeches against extremism by Archbishop Miroslav Vlk and Deputy Prime Minister Cyril Svoboda in front of the 13th century Old-New Synagogue.
Some 1,400 police sealed off the Jewish Quarter to prevent neo-Nazis from entering and also headed them off at metros on the outskirts of the city.
Demonstrators against neo-Nazis extremism also attended an event spearheaded by the Jewish Liberal Union on Old Town Square, where Mayor Pavel Bem and novelist and concentration camp survivor Arnost Lustig addressed a crowd of several thousand.
Some 2,000 anti-fascists and anarchists in the Old Town also marched. Both groups skirmished with a handful of skinheads in the city and clashed as well with police.
Six injuries were reported and 396 people were detained by police.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
