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The city of Pilsen has no right to prevent a march by neo-Nazis, a Czech court ruled. Some 1,000 police will be on hand Saturday to maintain security during the march, which the Czech media has estimated will attract 200 participants at most.

Police are especially concerned the marchers might try to disrupt services at the Grand Synagogue, one of the largest in Europe. Anti-racism supporters are expected to appear in support of the few hundred Jews who live in Pilsen, a city with a population of 163,000, along with Jews from elsewhere in the country. Approximately 5,000 Jews live in the Czech Republic. Pilsen, which is 60 miles west of Prague, had banned a similar march last month, but a regional court ruled that the decision by city authorities violated the freedom of expression.

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