Shocking scenes hit the City Downhill World Tour mountain biking stop in Bratislava on Saturday after a group of Neo Nazis broke on to the track and put an end to proceedings.
Thousands of protesters had rallied in the Slovakian capital earlier that day against what they dub “the Islamizaton of Europe” and influx of immigrants moving onto the continent.
“In the final metres Neo Nazis just ran into the track and destroyed everything…”
After the official protest had ended, cluster groups broke away including a group of around 300-400 strong who stumbled upon the cycling race, attacked spectators, broke onto the course and caused the entire event to be cancelled.
Brazilian rider Bernardo Cruz caught the incident on his helmet head camera, posting the footage on Facebook with the caption: “Hi guys! This is my race run here in Bratislava! This city is really amazing! In the final meters of the track Neo Nazis just ran into the track and destroyed everything (cameras, timing…) Then we had to stop our race!! Hope to come back to this race next year!”
Fala galera! Esse e meu video durante minha descida aqui na Bratislavia! Essa cidade é realmente linda! No final da minha descida a pista foi tomada por neo nazistas que estão em protesto e acabaram com nossa corrida!! Espero poder voltar ano que vem para correr essa prova novamente!hi guys! this is my race run here in Bratislava! This city is really amazing! In the final meters of the track the neo nazi just run into the track and destroyed everything (cameras, timing…) Then we had to stop our race!! Hope to come back to this race next year!
Posted by Bernardo Cruz on Sunday, June 21, 2015
Out of the thousands of demonstrators said to have been involved in the day of protests, reports in the Prague Post suggest 140 people were taken to the police station on the Saturday, with some of these detainments happening before the protest began due to possession of dummy explosives or knives.
Slovak police spokeswoman Tatiana Kurocova said the investigation into the riots is still ongoing, with three officers injured in action and dozens detained. Police are now analysing audio and video recordings provided for them by the people and media present, no doubt including the footage from Cruz’s head cam.
The City Downhill World Tour will return next in Bibao, Spain on 11 October, where everyone will be hoping that the focus is once again back on the men on the bikes.
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