Hundreds turn out for Milan Paumer's funeral

Hundreds of people attended the funeral of Milan Paumer, a member of a controversial group who shot their way across the Iron Curtain in the 1950s. The funeral ceremony, held in the town of Poděbrady, was attended by some of the country’s leading politicians, cultural figures and anti-communist fighters. Among those present was Prime Minister Petr Nečas, who said in a speech that Milan Paumer’s decision to stand up against oppression was heroic. Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, Defense Minister Alexander Vondra and the heads of both houses of Parliament were also in attendance.

Mr Paumer remains a controversial figure in the Czech Republic, where some people see him as a hero for fighting the Communists at a time when there was little resistance to the regime. Others condemn him for escaping at the cost of several human lives.