Riot police in the northern Czech town of Litvinovhave waged a bloody battle with far-right protesters trying to reach aRoma (Gypsy) suburb.
Police, some mounted on horses, tried to force back rioters froma 500-strong crowd with batons and tear gas as youths hurled petrolbombs and stones.
Seven demonstrators and seven police officers were injured in the clashes.
The violence broke out at a march by the far-right Workers’ Party on Monday, a public holiday in the Czech Republic.
At least one injured policeman could be seen lying on the ground with blood on his face, and a police car was set alight.
About 1,000 police were deployed to control the marchers.
“The police tried to get the demonstrators back to the plannedmarch route but they started throwing flaming bottles,” said policespokeswoman Jarmila Hrubesova.
About 15 people were reportedly arrested.
The Czech Republic’s largely impoverished Roma population haslong been a target for right-wingers and many Roma in the country of 10million complain of endemic racial discrimination.
Radical right-wingers like the Workers’ Party have failed tomake inroads in national politics over the past decade, analysts say.