Czech president Vaclav Klaus met with the president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), Ronald S. Lauder, in Prague on Monday. Lauder was accompanied by WJC secretary-general Michael Schneider and by the executive director of the Czech Federation of Jewish Communities, Tomas Kraus. Lauder raised concerns regarding a planned march by extreme-right nationalists and neo-Nazis through Prague's historic Jewish quarter on 10 November. The march was already banned once by Prague city hall, but a court overturned the ban. A second ban imposed last weekend is likely to be challenged in court again.
The WJC president pointed out that it was particularly insensitive and ominous that the march was meant to coincide with anniversary of the 1938 Nazi pogroms ('Kristallnacht'). He thanked the Czech president for his unequivocal condemnation of the rally and said: "In the fight against anti-Semitism and racism, Jews have an ally in President Klaus. We are grateful for that." The Jewish leaders also called on the Czech leadership to support stronger UN sanctions against Iran.
