12 June 2004 01:34
Russian nationalists demonstrate in front of Czech Embassy
MOSCOW, June 12 (CTK) - About a dozen young Russian nationalists met outside the Czech Embassy in Moscow today to
demand the release of Denis Gerasimov, Russian Neonazi band Kolovrat singer who had been arrested in Prague earlier this
year.
The demonstrators chanted slogans such as Shame on the Czechs and Free Denis, and spilled beer on the pavement.
The demonstration was organised by the New Free Society (NSO) group, which, its leader Dmitri Rumyantsev said,
"defends the Russian people's interests."
The demonstrators handed over a petition to the embassy employees, calling on the Czechs to release Gerasimov from
custody. No Czech diplomat met the demonstrators.
No incident occurred during the protest, which calmly ended after less than an hour.
Today's demonstration was already the second in support of Gerasimov in front of the Czech Embassy.
About 40 young people wearing black jackets and with their heads shaven gathered there and proclaimed themselves for
defenders of "the Russian race purity" about one and a half month ago.
The organisers of the protest today insisted that they had nothing to do with the previous demonstrators.
One of the speakers today threatened that if Gerasimov were not released, his organisation would launch actions in
Russia, Belarus and Ukraine in order to boycott Czech-made goods.
"We'll call on Russian citizens not to buy Czech goods, mainly beer," he said.
To show that he meant it seriously, he and several of his colleagues spilled about 15 bottles of beer, the Czech
Velkopopovicky kozel brand produced in Kaluga, Russia, on the pavement.
While the participants in the previous protest admitted that Gerasimov had been arrested in Prague on the request of
Russian authorities, today's protesters accused the Czech Republic of anti-Russian positions and kowtowing to the
USA.
"I'm convinced that the arrest of Gerasimov was a Czech anti- Russian action," Rumyantsev
reiterated.
Gerasimov was arrested at the Prague airport after he and the Kolovrat band had performed at a skinhead meeting in
the Czech Republic, where they sang songs promoting racial intolerance. The police reportedly found a large amount of
materials propagating the Neonazi movement on him.
rtj/mr
[Czech News Agency] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
