The special Czech police squad for fighting organized crime has warned that ultra-right groupings in the country have been gathering strength and are now better organized and more active than before the 2010 clamp-down on extremism. The Workers Party, banned by a court ruling in 2010, has successfully regrouped into the Workers Party of Social Justice and ultra-right activists are making an all out effort to use the wave of anti-Romany sentiment in the north of the country to their best advantage. So far the public has shown little sign of supporting them –but does that mean there is no potential for extremism in the Czech Republic? A question for Klára Kalibová, a lawyer who specializes in hate crime.
“The far-right is really not supported by the general public –we do not see a situation similar to that in Hungary where the far-right has far broader support – what we see here in the Czech Republic is that the mainstream parties have somehow adopted ways of approaching the general public similarly as the far right. What I mean is that mainstream parties may in fact deal with Romany issues in a similar manner as the far-right. The general public tends to support the mainstream political parties more because they do not want to be seen as neo-Nazis, but the core of the issue is the same. So the answer to your question is that yes, the far right lacks a charismatic leader, but on the other hand if some other political leader – be it from the Social Democrats or Christian Democrats highlights burning Romany issues –he or she will definitely gain support from the general public. “
Klára Kalibová
Is this form of racism not more dangerous in that it is hidden, so to speak?
“It is definitely more dangerous and I would like to warn against it. Because what we see now is that the police and law enforcement officials focus on far-right movements and completely ignore the mainstream where similar racial attacks and views appear as well. So, it is definitely more dangerous to have racism and anti-Roma sentiments in the mainstream that in far-right movements.”
How serious is the situation in the north of the country in this respect? Will it fuel racism and bring forth more such mainstream politicians?
Illustrative photo: Filip Jandourek / Czech Radio
“Definitely it may and not only in north Bohemia but also in other parts of the Czech Republic because right now we perceive tensions across Czech society. The crisis in northern Bohemia is triggered by social exclusion and poverty but what we should expect from law enforcement officials is an immediate answer to any kind of crime –and crime motivated by racial hatred in particular. If we, as a civil society, do not see that we should demand it because if the police lacks a proper answer then people will turn to far-right movements or any other radical movement to resolve the situation. What I as a lawyer perceive right now is a lack of trust in the police and in the legal system as a whole –and this is a threat to democracy – that people who feel endangered may turn to a far-right movement or to any politician who will offer them an immediate and visible solution.”
