Czech police target extremists’ funding: report

Czech police have decided to target the funding of extreme right-wing parties in order to weaken them and hasten their destruction, the daily Lidové noviny reported on Saturday, citing a top ministry of interior source. The paper says recent evidence suggests that the parties are well funded. It gives the example of the recruitment of high profile lawyers to protect their interests. Police swooped on a series of extremist leaders in the summer, many of them organisers of concerts used as recruiting grounds. The paper points out that worries that one of the highest profile parties, the Workers’ Party could get more than 1.5 percent in elections to the lower house next year. That would give it the right to 7.0 million crowns in state funding. The government has tabled a proposal to ban the party.