Violence during the anti-Roma rally in Duchcov

Source: teplicky.denik.cz

“Ordinary citizens“ together with neo-Nazis

The demonstration in Duchcov in June 2013 was organized by the Workers’ Party of Social Justice (DSSS), a far-right group that had absorbed members of the judicially dissolved Workers’ Party (DS) in 2010. The DS, in cooperation with neo-Nazi networks, had been staging provocative marches since 2008, many of which escalated into anti-Roma riots, and the DSSS continued this strategy. In Duchcov, tensions between segments of the Roma community and the majority population provided fertile ground for extremists, who were reinforced by organized groups of football hooligans. Yet ordinary residents also joined the protests, reflecting a broader pattern where far-right mobilizations often drew support from disaffected locals. The Duchcov unrest formed part of the so-called ‘hot riots’ summer of 2013, a peak moment in anti-Roma agitation. Since then, however, large-scale violent demonstrations of this kind have not been repeated.