Bavarian Premier Söder to attend Sudeten German Congress in Brno despite protests

Bavarian Premier Markus Söder will visit Brno next week to attend the Sudeten German Congress despite an increasingly heated political debate in the Czech Republic over the event.

Söder announced the trip at a press conference in Munich following a meeting of the leadership of his Christian Social Union (CSU) party. According to the Sudeten German Association, Söder is scheduled to deliver a speech at the congress on Sunday, May 24.

From Brno, Söder will travel to Prague for talks with Czech President Petr Pavel, who invited him to Prague Castle.

The congress has sparked controversy in Czech politics. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said that instead of reconciliation, the event would reopen old wounds. His governing coalition plans to push through a parliamentary motion calling for the congress not to be held in the Czech Republic.

The Sudeten German issue remains historically sensitive in the Czech Republic because of the post-war expulsion of ethnic Germans following World War Two.