Commentary: Czech President spouts reassuring nonsense to ultra-nationalists

Czech President Miloš Zeman has distinguished himself yet again. In the greeting he gave recently to the "Freedom and Direct Democracy" (SPD) movement's program conference, he assured the members that they are not extremists, but "radicals".
This statement can be interpreted two ways, neither of which makes any sense. The term "radical" means something that gets to the essence or the root of a matter.
The SPD under Czech MP Tomio Okamura decidedly does not focus on the roots of anything. They are engaged in Fascism, proclaim the coarsest kind of populism, and are so xenophobic it is horrifying.
Their communications have nothing to do with any kind of principle. Okamura & Co. are actually just all about what they claim everybody else is seeking: power, a seat at the pig trough, fiefdoms, benefits for themselves and money in their own pockets.
There is a reason the SPD has been called a movement trafficking in xenophobia. They will do literally anything to acquire power, in particular, persistently proclaiming their hatreds and inciting others against minorities and refugees.
Okamura's followers do not care that they are feeding and stimulating fear in our society - acquiring those fiefdoms is more important. The expressions "radicalism" or "radicals" are also being used in another sense today, though, and that is instead of the terms "extremism" or "extremists".
Journalists, for example, call the neo-Nazi Workers Social Justice Party (DSSS) a "radical" party. Sometimes we read that a follower of a "radical movement" is being investigated for committing a bias crime against somebody Romani, for example, instead of such people being called what they actually are, right-wing extremists.
If that was the meaning Zeman had in mind for the term "radical", then his message was that the SPD is not extremist but radical - i.e., de facto extremist. The statement "You're not extremists, but extremists" is, of course, absurd.
Unfortunately, we must reconcile ourselves to the fact that this is far from the first time Zeman has spoken nonsensically and certainly will not be the last. After all, he has to go down in history for something, right?
Don't miss:
- MEP of Romani origin Soraya Post asks ROMEA TV: How can Czech President Zeman be so stupid?
- US State Department says Czech Republic is grappling with anti-Roma hatred, including from the President
- Czech court sentences Romani man to six months in prison for hate speech against the Czech President and others
- German MP who recently visited Czech President met with South African racists on official visit
- Czech State Security Council takes note of extremism report as originally worded, Czech President did not get his way
- Monika Mihaličková: Czech President should take a look in the mirror and give himself a slap - "gypsy" is an insulting term
- ROMEA to Czech President: Romani life in communist Czechoslovakia included forced assimilation, forced sterilization of women, segregated education
- Czech President insults Romani people yet again after casting his ballot
- ROMEA: Czech President has manipulated facts yet again - we can prove 70 % of Romani people in this country work
Related articles:
- Czech expert says haters' attention is fixating on Roma again, "migration" as a subject is over
- Czech intelligence: Right-wing extremists return to anti-Roma rhetoric, public tolerance of racism and xenophobia in politics rising
- Czech fan of ultra-nationalist party gets suspended sentence for wearing Nazi symbols to demonstration
- Germany: Right-wing extremists "patrolling" in Berlin
- Poland: Ultra-right members arrested for planning terrorist attack days after ultra-right march in the capital
- German Govt approves measures to combat right-wing extremism, requires social media firms to report IP addresses of users making death threats
- Michal Mižigár: What democracy brought us Romani people in the Czech Republic in the 1990s
- In future, Czech quarterly reports on extremism may mention only settled cases, not ones in progress
- Czech counter-intelligence disrupted Russian hacker spies and Hezbollah network, warns ultra-right targeting of Muslims could contribute to radicalization
- LIVE BROADCAST: International Conference on Antigypsyism and Hate Speech Online
- Czech politician who relies on hatred ties himself in knots over the ultra-right terrorism in Germany
- Germany: Neo-Nazi kills two people near synagogue and kebab place, motivated by antisemitism and right-wing extremism
Tags:
Extremism, Miloš Zeman, radikálové, Tomio OkamuraHEADLINE NEWS
