According to Ulrich Schmid, the counter-demonstration proves there is such a thing as a "Czech civil society" and people "who are willing to take to the streets to fight for democracy, the rule of law and the protection of minorities without pressure from the state... Numerous tourists spontaneously expressed solidarity with the participants in the demonstration. There was a family from Barcelona standing next to a family from Milan, bags brimming with the ubiquitous Bohemian glass souvenirs, shouting anti-Nazi slogans. ... The mood remained relaxed and peaceful until the neo-Nazis arrived. Israeli flags were waved and many wore the yellow star with the word 'Jude' ('Jew' in German) on their jackets. This was an act of solidarity of which most approved, but which an old Hungarian Jew who survived the Nazi terror as a child described as 'rather cheap'. ... Never have the neo-Nazis felt so isolated." (12/11/2007)

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Petr Honzejk commends the counter-demonstrators in Prague but wonders how the public would have reacted had the neo-Nazis taken to the streets against the unpopular Roma. "That Czech society prevented the neo-Nazi march is good. But the real problem lies with politicians like Jiri Cunek who give neo-Nazis the feeling they are fighting for a just cause. ... President Vaclav Klaus should apologise for referring to a concentration camp for Roma as a 'labour camp'. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek must put the Roma problem at the top of his government agenda. Local authorities must take action against anti-Roma demonstrations in the same way they react to the neo-Nazis. ... Only then will we be able to talk about whether things are improving." (12/11/2007)

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All available articles from » Petr Honzejk

Jozsef Szilvassy describes the united stance of Czech citizens and politicians as exemplary. "The intellectuals and church representatives did not remain silent. The fact that all Czech politicians adopted an unequivocal stance was also crucial. Having the cross-party and non-ideological support of both politicians and society made the police's task a lot easier. Although recent corruption scandals have considerably damaged the reputation of the political elite, no one tried to use the Nazi protest for furthering party interests. The conduct of Czech politicians, church representatives and intellectuals - in short of Czech society as a whole - can serve as an example to us all of how to confront the threat of neo-Nazism." (12/11/2007)

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All available articles from » József Szilvássy

In the wake of the scandal caused by French NGO 'L'Arche de Zoé', French essayist Jacques Attali questions the role played by NGOs. "They should still be entitled to go where governments dare not go, take action where no one dares, and to say no in the name of morality. They should continue to make it their duty to disobey, to take action in the name of morality against laws they consider iniquitous or inadequate, and to enjoy the right to revolt. Their duty is not to interfere, but to disobey and act illegally at one with their conscience in order to save lives. On one condition, however - that their missions should not be misguided. For if they are misguided, or if they deceive those they seek to help, or if might is right and triumphs over morality, then they must be ready to pay the price." (07/11/2007)

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All available articles from » Jacques Attali

Monumentality is the new-old trend in urban development, writes media expert Norbert Bolz. "New living spaces like cyberspace and virtual reality demand architectural cult venues as compensation for the dissolution of spatial attachment: town squares, football stadiums, leisure parks, protected little oases. Unfortunately, the mentality of most German architects is blocked, not only by their opposition to the monumental but also by their anti-commercial attitudes. Yet the iconographic nature of consumerism is an important dimension of today's architecture. In other words: the market is the invisible architect in our cities. And wherever our cities are ugly, the market takes its revenge on architects who have always despised this world of consumerism - today the important thing is to change it. Clever architects like Jon Jerde and Rem Koolhaas have realised that the revival of our cities must begin with their commercially-based public spaces." (12/11/2007)

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All available articles from » Norbert Bolz

The Social Democrat and former UN diplomat Danilo Türk was elected Slovenia's new President on Sunday. He won the runoff against the conservative Lojze Peterle with a surprisingly high 68 percent of the vote. Meta Roglic comments: "Danilo Türk is a relatively new face in Slovenian politics. His diplomatic experience in particular has won him points with voters. ... He also has a good rhetoric, although he hasn't adopted a clear standpoint on certain important issues. ... Therefore it can't be said that he won over most of his voters with his views. Nor can it be said that he enjoys the broad support of the left. Yesterday's results are less an expression of support for Türk than of lack of support for Peterle and, by extension, the current government. Türk won the elections in his role as an alternative to Peterle." (12/11/2007)

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Denmark will hold early parliamentary elections tomorrow. The Swedish daily reports that as in 2001 and 2005, the election campaign has been dominated by the question of what policy to adopt toward refugees and asylum. According to the daily, the results obtained by the New Alliance, a new party founded by Naser Khader, himself a child of immigrants, could play a decisive role in the outcome of the elections. The party has yet to decide on its political orientation. "The Social Democrats and the left-wing liberals want to make it possible for asylum-seekers to live and work outside homes. ... This proposal appears to be partially founded on the hope that together they will be able to form a coalition with the New Alliance and its leader. But even though Khader wants a more liberal asylum policy, it's highly unlikely he's prepared to move even further to the left. ... The most likely scenario is that the Liberal- Conservatives and the Conservatives will continue to rule, and that Denmark will remain conservative." (11/11/2007)

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"Just as the mistral blows across Provence, so a wind of anger is sweeping France," states columnist Philippe Larue about the industrial action that will be taken in France's public transport system this week. "Behind the 'privileged' railway workers fisherman, truck drivers, farmers, the police, magistrates, other civil servants, and university and high-school students are all lining up. Last and most importantly come those who acutely sense the drop in their standard of living once they have put petrol in the cars and bought the week's groceries ... Today's France, with its battered middle classes, can hardly reform itself like Margaret Thatcher changed the UK in the 1980s. ... Are those French people who silently nurse their anger instead of taking to the streets ready to suffer today for a radiant tomorrow which, they are promised, will bring one of Europe's fastest growth rates and unemployment of less than 5% ?" (12/11/2007)

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All available articles from » Philippe Larue

"Gordon Brown must be looking forward to his first big foreign policy speech as Prime minister on Monday, November 12th, as much as a visit to the dentist. He does not seem to have time or taste for Abroad – especially Europe", comments the daily. "Admirers of Mr Brown – who claims keeping Britain out of the euro as his achievement – hint their man may promise less but deliver more. Nothing, so far, suggests that. ... Mr Brown appears to regard the EU as another intergovernmental organisation like the Group of Eight. That is a shame. He should be able to see it as an opportunity to exploit globalisation while alleviating some of its side-effects, as a means for effective multilateralism, as a multiplier in dealing with challenges from climate change to terrorism. Of course it needs reform, along with leadership and vision." (12/11/2007)

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Professor Marc Uyttendaele of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Free University of Brussels) believes that the stature of the king has suffered from the political crisis in Belgium, which has had no government since June 10. "When the king's role is merely formal and symbolic, it is reasonable to argue that the monarchy's main - if not sole - raison d'être is that of arbiter at times when crisis-hit political institutions are too weak to ensure the well-being of all by themselves. ... Rather than standing aloof from the madding crowd, he allows himself to be used by the desperate Orange-Blue coalition [between Christian Democrats and Liberals]. ... Some will be sorely tempted to say that there is no need for a king who is incapable of raising the standard of debate and forcing the political players to take a loftier view." (12/11/2007)

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All available articles from » Marc Uyttendaele

Before killing nine people at a Finnish school last week, the perpetrator announced his criminal intentions in a video published on YouTube. This prompts writer and Chaos Computer Club member Peter Glaser to reflect on self-promotion on Web 2.0: "The Internet is no longer about reality, but about tapping into each other's fantasies. But any fantasy can be made dangerous, like a bomb, and explode into reality. ... Never has the desire to see and be seen been as strong and obsessive as it is today. Thanks to the Internet, every image now has the same potential to influence reality as the images of the traditional big broadcasters. Every now and then someone tries to abuse this power to make a pathetic, murderous gesture. We can't escape this power. However the essence of this new technology is not lifeless - it remains the human being." (10/11/2007)

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Furious football supporters were behind violent incidents across Italy on November 11 in the wake of the death of a Roma-Lazio supporter, killed by a policeman trying to end fighting between rival supporters in Tuscany. "The game has gone mad. We are in a world where enemy Ultras join together like brothers against the police," writes Gianni Mura who believes that the Italian football championship (the Calcio) should be stopped. "There should have been no play [yesterday]. It is easy to say now that dark has fallen, watching the images of guerrila warfare which shock us. ... Part of the Calcio is now on the warpath because of this death. For a policeman killed by a supporter the championship was stopped [in February 2007]. But when the opposite happens, kick-off is merely delayed ten minutes in a gesture of respect for the dead. Who can have made that decision ?" (12/11/2007)

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All available articles from » Gianni Mura

Spanish author Juan Bonilla deplores the mindlessness of book programmes on televisions. "What is the point of broadcasting programmes on literature for people who are not interested in literature? The answer is simple. To rise to a sort of challenge: we will prove to people who do not care about books that literature is very interesting. This attempt draws on the most up-to-date visual technology. Video clips set the tone with plenty of rhythm to avoid any abhorrent vacuum or to avoid wasting three seconds because some guest repeats a question before answering it. ... As these programmes are supposed to interest the public at large, they focus only on famous authors who have no need of introduction - further proof that literary critics today are like the employees in the bookshop department of 'El Corte Inglès' [Spanish department store] who, in order to illustrate a book's quality, says that it is a 'best-seller'." (12/11/2007)

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Romanian theatre producer has staged a play in Luxemburg called 'Garret in Paris with a View of Death' by playwright Matei Visnic. It draws its inspiration from the last days of the Romanian philosopher Emil Cioran [1911-1995]. Interviewed by Luc Caregari, Radu Afrim explains that although Cioran wrote most of his books in French, Romanians claim him as one of them. "Just as they claim Constantin Brancusi or Mircea Eliade. All these intellectuals who could not, in any case, have written their work in the home country. It raises a real problem not only as regards Cioran but also Eugene Ionesco: is he a Romanian or French playwright ? I think that they all belong to the European school of thought, even though they have good reason to hate the Romanian people's silence all these years, which was what forced them into dissidence." (08/11/2007)

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Janusz Czapinski, a social psychologist at the University of Warsaw, writes about a paradox within Polish society: patriotism on the one hand and distrust of one's immediate neighbour on the other. "We identify with our dead ancestors, are proud of our heroic tradition of defeat and are moved when we hear the national anthem. We love our Polishness, but we don't like other Poles, or at least not the living ones in our own neighbourhoods or other cities. International surveys show that we are among the world's most romantic patriots - and its least pragmatic citizens. We emigrate in masses with no great sense of loss because we can take our two great passions - our Polishness and our families - with us. Our neighbours we can leave behind with a sense of relief." (07/11/2007)

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All available articles from » Janusz Czapiński

"Is the customs officer a fast-disappearing species of civil servant ?" wonders the Luxemburg weekly, as this country actually has a customs museum. "Not at all. Particularly as 19 % of world trade flows pass through Europe ... and customs authorities carry out 5.6 million physical checks every year. Through European directives transposed into national legislation, Luxemburg has strengthened the role of customs officers, providing them with functions for which they are tailor-made. ... Customs officers now seek out wrongdoers. They have burst out of their traditional booths to pursue multiple missions : scour building-sites, hunt down smugglers, watch over the environment, inspect hauliers and drive out intruders, including animals. And even enforce the protection of intellectual property rights." (08/11/2007)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Exhibitions / Museums, » Luxembourg, » Europe