Czech organiser of neo-Nazi march sentenced to community work

Babka originally faced up to two years in prison for incitement of racial hatred towards a group of people.

Babka confessed to the controversial statements, but he declined that they had promoted fascism and Nazism. He also denied having supported rightist radicals.

According to the police files, Babka spoke up at the end of a march "against Zionism" on March 14.

"Jointly for the idea of national socialism. Public resistance is a duty where injustice rules," Babka is cited as saying during the march.

According to the charges, he thereby manifested his positive stance on national socialism and expressed support for a Nazi movement.

Babka was charged with support and promotion of movements suppressing human rights and freedoms.

However, the judge re-qualified the act, saying Babka first expressed his aversion to Zionism, criticised Jews as a nation and only then he uttered the controversial statements.

One isolated statement cannot prove his link to a neo-Nazi organisation and support for a concrete extremist movement, the judge said.

The state attorney appealed the verdict on the spot.

Babka told reporters that he was satisfied with the court decision.

The police labelled Babka as one of the leading representatives of the Autonomous Nationalists in the Plzen Region who had close contacts with the radical part of the National Resistance Prague extremist movement.

Babka has regularly participated in various events of right-wing extremists, according to the police.

Babka, on his part, denied having supported rightist extremists, and he said he wanted the march to react to the occupation of Palestine.

Babka has already been convicted four times.

The most recently, he was given a 15-month suspected sentence with a 3.5-year probation for rioting and an attempt at causing bodily harm in April.

Autor: ČTK
www.ctk.cz