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Police are readying massive precautions for a demonstration of right-wing extremists to take place in the town of Jihlava at the weekend. Some 200 attendees are anticipated, however far-right gatherings regularly draw the participation of antifascist groups, and police are thus preparing crowd control units and large-scale patrols for the possibility of any public disorder. Organisers have stated the purpose of the rally is to commemorate victims of the Second World War, however the demonstration also coincides with elections to the European Parliament, and right-wing pre-election advertisements have recently been banned by the Czech media as promoting racism and fascism.

The Association of Automobile Importers has announced substantial growth in the sale of cars in the Czech Republic for the previous month. Domestic sales of new personal automobiles grew year-on-year in May by 20.5 percent to 14,277 vehicles. A 5.5% increase from last year’s first quarter was also recorded, with a total of 62,944 cars sold between the start of the year and the end of May. According to the association, the strong growth has been a direct result of the introduction of the possibility of VAT deductions on the purchase of new automobiles.

On a visit to Prague, German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier paid tribute to Germany’s eastern neighbors for their role in bringing about the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago. At a joint press conference with his Czech and Slovak counterparts, the German foreign minister said his countrymen would never forget that the reunification of Germany would not have been possible without the activities of the Czech Charter 77 human rights movement and the Polish Solidarity movement. On Monday Mr. Steinmeier visited a multimedia exhibition on Wenceslas Square called “20 years of freedom - Germany says thank you”. After closing in Prague the exhibition will make its way to Warsaw, Gdansk, Bratislava and Budapest. During his trip to Prague the German foreign minister also met with the icon of the Velvet Revolution, Vaclav Havel.

President Václav Klaus has questioned the significance of this weekend's European elections. In Paris to promote a new book calling into question the dangers of climate change, Mr. Klaus said the traditionally low voter turnout in European elections was due to the fact that there is no real European community of people. We are talking about the French, Czechs, Germans, Poles, he argued. Mr. Klaus said the lack of interest was revealing and that he personally would be quite happy have to have the deputies elected into national parliaments represent their countries in Brussels. Mr. Klaus, who prefers the label Eurorealist to Eurosceptic, has long fought against the creation of what he says would be an artificial European super-state.