“Risk” areas to get more police patrols following rise in extremism

The ministry of the interior is to introduce more police patrols in “risk” areas following an increase in far-right extremism in the Czech Republic. Interior Minister Martin Pecina made the announcement after talks with President Václav Klaus on Wednesday. Over the last year far-right groups have on a number of occasions marched on districts largely inhabited by Roma, and the Czech government itself said a rise in extremism was behind an increase in the number of Czech Roma applying for asylum in Canada. That led Ottawa to introduce a visa requirement for Czech visitors two weeks ago.

The interior ministry will also make a second attempt to have the far-right Workers’ Party banned; the last Czech government saw a similar bid rejected in March by the Supreme Administrative Court, which said it had put forward insufficient justification for the banning of the small group.

Author: Ian Willoughby