Thousands of Roma people took to the streets in 14 cities throughout the Czech Republic May 3 to protest recent attacks by neo-Nazi groups.
The attack that sparked the demonstrations occurred in mid-April when a Roma family fell victim to an arson attack. The attackers deliberately turned off the water to the building before setting fire to their home. The family suffered intense burns. Their young daughter is still in critical condition.
Most of the protests went smoothly except for a few that were physically and verbally attacked by ultra-right-wing nationalist groups. The demonstration in Chomutov was cut short due to the attacks. And although the protest was permitted and well publicized, the police failed to protect the demonstrators, instead allowing the racist and dangerous attacks to take place.
As word got out to other demonstrations about what happened in Chomutov, organizers said that they are not afraid to fight back against the increasing discrimination and racist attacks.
