Protestors demonstrate against U.S. radar base in Czech Republic

PRAGUE, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A group of Greenpeace activists protested against the building of a U.S. radar base on Czech soil outside the Government Office in Prague on Wednesday.

Some of them were disguised as foxes because their criticism was mainly aimed at Greens Education Minister Ondrej Liska (liska means fox in Czech) over his allegedly ambiguous statements on the radar.

"Liska, you are one of us, do not betray us," the protesters in fox masks wrote on the banner.

The Greens national council has called on the Greens legislators to vote against the radar. Liska, nevertheless, did not support this resolution and has not yet told the public how he will vote in the government and in parliament, Jan Freidinger from Greenpeace said.

The No to Bases initiative staged another protest meeting against the radar base these days.

Its activists have been marching around the Chamber of Deputies premises since Monday to remind of the fact that most Czech do not agree with the radar project.

The activists have allegedly covered 440 kilometers and intend to terminate this form of protest on Friday.

The United States plans to build a radar base in the Brdy military district, some 90 kilometers southwest of the capital Prague, along with an interceptor missile base in neighboring Poland.

The project has divided the Czech political scene. The senior ruling party Civic Democrats support the radar base, but the junior ruling party Greens reject the radar and doubts have also been raised by some deputies from the other junior government party, the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL).

The left opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) and Communists (KSCM) are against the base and demand that a referendum be held on the issue.

Some 70 percent of Czech citizens are opposed to the project, too.