The Czech far-right Workers' Party of Social Justice (DSSS), direct successor to the outlawed extremist Workers' Party (DS), yesterday sent "civic patrols," it had called protective corps, to the streets in a village with some Romany population. Seven DSSD members came to Redhost, allegedly at the request of the locals who were helpless when dealing with a number of Romany families. The conflict culminated in a mass brawl at the end of May. No incident occurred in Redhost yesterday. The police checked those arriving there. The Romanies have reportedly left the village or did not go out of their homes. The DSSS members only spoke with some locals and marched through the village. The local residents told CTK all they wanted was quiet, but members of the Romany families constantly provoked them. A number of locals put up a fight in the local pub on May 28. The DSSS said the incident had a racial background. The local police spokeswoman said the police were investigating the case on the suspicion of breach of the peace, not of a racist attack.
The DSSS won 1.1 percent of votes in the late May elections to the Chamber of Deputies. The DSSS has the same representatives and a similar programme and insignia as the DS. Its membership is roughly the same as well. The Supreme Administrative Court (NSS) ruled on February 17 that the DS's programme, ideas and symbols contain the elements of xenophobia, chauvinism, homophobia and a racist subtext, and follow up national socialism, the ideology connected with Adolf Hitler. The DS incites to violence and seeks a radical change in the democratic system, the court said. The court also ruled that the DS's protective corps were trying to duplicate the roles that should be executed by the local authorities and police bodies. The verdict was upheld by the Constitutional Court on May 31. After the verdict was delivered, DS leader Tomas Vandas discontinued the activities of the corps, but said in early June he would resume them.
Prague Monitor
