Czech people hold protest against U.S. army convoy

A protest here on Thursday against U.S. soldiers' scheduled crossing of the Czech territory marks the first public protest against the U.S. convoy that is to arrive in the Czech Republic from Poland on March 29.

The protesters said they did not like it that the U.S. soldiers had decided to go for a demonstrative ride in a convoy from a military exercise in the Baltics to their home base in Vilseck, Bavaria. They also opposed the soldiers spending the night of March 29 in the Vyskov barracks in the south Moravian region of the country.

The protest organizers said it was cynical to allow foreign troops to cross Czech territory in a year when they are marking the 70th anniversary of their country's liberation and the end of World War II, especially given the aggravated geopolitical situation which calls for hostilities to be negotiated. This action only escalates the tension, they said.

The protesters also submitted two petitions. The first was against the presence of foreign troops on Czech territory and the possible building of NATO bases in the country. The second called for the Czech Republic to leave NATO, which the organizers considered to be a power instrument interfering in states' sovereignty.

The U.S. soldiers held an exercise in the Baltic countries and they will arrive in the Czech Republic on Sunday from three directions. They will spend the night in the regions of Vyskov, Pardubice, and Liberec. On Monday, they will move on to Prague and then leave for Germany on April 1. Endit