Prague: Around 600 people turned out Friday for a rally against Islam in central Prague, a first in the Czech Republic and held in response to last week`s deadly terrorist attacks in France.
"The Czech Republic is a secular country that doesn`t need Islam," said Martin Konvicka, leader of the "No Islam in the Czech Republic" group that organised the event on social media.
"There`s no dividing line between a non-radical Islam and a very radical Islam," he told AFP, as around 20 counter-protesters held up a banner that said "Live together in equality".
The protesters gathered in front of Prague Castle, the seat of the presidency, and displayed signs with such slogans as "Wake up, Europe" and "Stop Islam".
They observed a minute of silence for the 17 people gunned down by Islamist gunmen in last week`s attacks in Paris, including on the offices of the satirical Charlie Hebdo weekly and a kosher supermarket.
Up to 20,000 Muslims live in the Czech Republic, a country of 10.5 million people whose Czech Muslim Community condemned the attack on Charlie Hebdo.
Konvicka did not rule out joining forces with PEGIDA, Germany`s new anti-Islamic movement, which drew a record 25,000 marchers to a rally in Dresden on Monday.
