PRAGUE, Feb 1 () - Tens of thousands of Czechs rallied on Sunday in support of President Peter Pavel after he refused to approve the ​nomination of a minister to the new eurosceptic coalition government who performed ‌a Nazi salute and posted Nazi memorabilia. In an escalating rift with the government, the pro-EU and pro-Ukraine Pavel ‌last week accused Foreign Minister Petr Macinka of sending text messages via his adviser that threatened the president with "consequences" if he continued to oppo

Tens of thousands Czechs rallied Sunday in the capital and elsewhere to throw their weight behind President Petr Pavel in his dispute with the country’s foreign minister. The demonstrators packed the picturesque Old Town Square and some others had to gather at nearby Wenceslas Square where they watched the speeches on big screens. Pavel’s refusal to appoint a government minister representing the right-wing Motorists for Themselves Euro-skeptic party, which is led by Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, is at the core of the dispute.