A dreaded public meeting of promoters of the ultra-right, scheduled for this Saturday in a Czech town which has been living in an atmosphere of heightened tensions for the past few months due to friction between majority-society residents and some local members of the Roma minority, will probably take place. DSSS party chair Tomáš Vandas has refused Mayor Pavel Louda's request that the party not hold its event in Nový Bydžov. The town is concerned that the event will cause complications, but Louda says it does not have the option of banning the meeting. "The announcement filed by the DSSS meets all the criteria, the organizers report they predict 100-200 people will participate and they promise to provide organization. Right now the town does not have any way to ban the gathering," Louda said. The mayor believes there is a risk that the event could be attended by extremists, which could cause problems. "No one living in this town is interested in extremist demonstrations or in an escalation of the current situation, which is why I called on the DSSS leadership not to hold their public meeting here," Louda said. Mayor Louda called on the DSSS to call off its political meeting in a letter published on the town's web page. "The announced meeting has prompted concerns among citizens of the town who are demanding guarantees from the leadership that security will be preserved," it says.
The town's letter also claims the town is aware of a communication from the Autonomous Nationalists saying they want to support the march and that the Roma community also wants to respond to the DSSS presence. "We are doing our best, with all the forces available to us, to take measures that will contribute toward calming this currently complicated situation, but the participation of your party, other radical groups and groups of Roma could ratchet up the currently tense situation even more," the letter reads. The DSSS, which announced its event last Friday, wants to hold it despite the mayor's disagreement. "I must first say that we will not back down on holding this event. We have received many requests to come and hold a meeting to familiarize ourselves with the issue on the scene," Vandas said. He claims concerns over any eventual complications are unnecessary. The situation in the town of 7 000 came to a head last November after several muggings and the rape of a young woman. A petition demanding the provision of security was signed by 3 257 people. The mayor subsequently issued a declaration sharply criticizing all Roma and announced a series of measures that would be taken against problematic residents. The town has called in a private security agency and increased the number of police on patrol from four to six.
Romea
