Frýdek-Místek march attack: Czech police charge 18 people

Czech police have charged 18 people in connection with the attack on participants of a march in Frýdek-Místek on 19 September last year, a police spokeswoman said. All the accused face charges of hooliganism, and some are also charged with causing bodily harm and with violence against a group of residents and against an individual.

Adult defendants face up to five years in prison, while minors face half that, up to two and a half years.

What happened in the park

The attack took place in Bedřich Smetana Park, where the march was passing through. It was organized by the group “Děti smetí” from Frýdek-Místek and the surrounding area. The participants were attacked by young men in masks, who then scattered. At the scene, police managed to detain only seven of them.

More than a year of investigation

The case was investigated by detectives. According to police, they worked for more than a year, operating in criminal circles and relying on informants, and eventually identified the suspects and charged them.

Investigators believe that the attack had been planned in advance: the attackers had agreed beforehand on what they would do. The motive was opposition to the anarchists’ march against fascism.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz