Czech demonstrators protest missile shield plans

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Source: Reuters

Two thousand demonstrators marched through Prague on Saturday to protest against a plan to host part of a U.S. missile defence system.

The demonstration came less than two weeks before U.S. President George W. Bush arrives in the Czech Republic to drum up support for the missile shield.

The United States wants to place 10 interceptor rockets in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic as part of a system Washington says is aimed at "rogue states" like Iran and North Korea.

Waving banners and placards denouncing the plan, which the Czech and U.S. governments are currently negotiating, the peaceful demonstration snaked through the centre of the city before ending at Prague Castle.



Read more: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=825192007

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Bush plans to visit Prague on June 4-5 in support of the missile defence shield, which is opposed by around two-thirds of Czechs, according to opinion polls, but supported by the centre-right Czech government.

[MasonJar]

1. The Czech Republic is a wonderful country; the citizens have been

through horros by the Nazis and the Russians. They do NOT deserve this W visit or the missle shield. If you have not been to Prague, save up and go. Next to Paris Prague is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. When I was there 4 years ago, it was also the most reasonable.

[Penance]

2. If I were my grandfather

and he didn't leave Prague, I'd actually mildly support the radio base as long as the Americans paid up. It's some extra cash and sends a nice "fuck you" to the Russians with little real danger to the CR. The Russians may point their ICBMs at the CR, but the Czechs are a member of NATO now and it's not like they haven't had NATO guns pointed at them during the Cold War or Soviet tanks rolling into Prague before. All things considered, it's not *that* bad. Unlike Poland, the CR is only getting a radio base.

I'm American, though, so I oppose yet one more senseless waste of money by this misadministration.

[TheLastMohican]

4. This is very shallow assessment

If Russia says "f... y..." to czech goods, and more importantly to the oil and gaz it provides to Czech Republic, everybody in Czech Republic will be for a rough awakening.

If the whole idea of this missile shield is to say "F..Y.. Russia!" I suggest finding cheaper and non-lethal ways to do it.

I guess the Czechs are much sober about the issue.

[IndianaGreen]

3. Bravo! The Czech students know that the missile shield is aimed at Russia, not Iran

They don't want their country to become a subservient lapdog to the American Hitler.