Czech Government plans four-year anti-extremist campaign, leaked report says

According to the Annual Report on Extremism for 2010 (Výroční zpráva o extremismu za rok 2010), which was leaked to the media on Monday and should be approved by the Czech Government next week, extremism in the Czech Republic is tapering off. Anti-Roma radicals have been put on the defensive by two events: The dissolution of the Workers’ Party, and the scathing verdict in the case of the Vítkov arsonists, Czech daily Lidové noviny (LN) reports.

“The extremist scene has been broken down by successful, unrelenting police interventions. To a significant degree we can say the activities of this scene have been paralyzed,” LN reports the authors of the report claim. “The crisis in the right-wing extremist scene is apparent in particular because of the significant reduction in the number of their public events,” the report reads.

Government analysts say that in addition to interventions from outside their groups, the extremists are being weakened by a lack of unified opinions. An older generation with a conservative approach is being confronted by younger adherents who are advocating for a tolerant approach to homosexuals, for example. “Younger activists consider it essential to be open to things like graffiti, hip hop and piercing in order to attract young sympathizers and revive the movement overall,” the analysts write.

At this moment, the report’s conclusion are completely out of date. “The report was written when the extremist scene had suffered some blows, but adherents of these beliefs are raising their heads up again,” LN quotes Miroslav Mareš, an expert on extremism, as saying. “The events of recent months, where several hundred extremists marched through Brno or Nový Bydžov, show the extremist scene is active,” Czech Human Rights Commissioner Monika Šimůnková warns.

According to the report, the state will soon launch a campaign, which on the one hand is meant to be focused against extremism, and on the other hand is meant to improve relations between the majority society and Roma people. The authors of the report respond to recent research showing that anti-Roma sentiment in the Czech Republic is deeply rooted. For example, according to a poll commissioned by the Czech Interior Ministry from the STEM agency, more than three-fourths of people in the country claim they have had bad experiences with Roma people.

According to STEM director Jan Hartl, this has to do with deficiencies both in the behavior of Roma people and in the state’s approach. “I wouldn’t say the negative approach to Roma people is escalating. The majority society just simply believes enough has been done for Roma people already,” Hartl said in an interview for LN. In his view, politicians must make it clear that they want to be involved in the issue. “This is a hot topic that has been abandoned. It’s an essential matter – we are even encountering the term ‘anti-Gypsyism’ in connection with Czech people, because research shows insularity and intolerance show up to a far greater extent in relations with the Roma minority in particular,” LN quotes Hartl.

The campaign, which should be implemented by the Office of the Czech Government, specifically the Human Rights Commissioner, is in the preparation phase. It should be financed by Norwegian resources and partially from the Czech state budget. “It’s in the final phase of negotiation, but it’s not certain yet,” Šimůnková told news server iDNES.cz.

The campaign would operate on two levels, nationwide and regionally. The nationwide level would use billboards, information brochures and television advertising. The regional campaign would target regions most afflicted by extremism, such as the North Moravian and Ústí regions.

Experts in extremism have not evaluated the government’s concrete plans yet, because they do not know how the campaign will be undertaken. “I don’t know what the plans are. It will depend on how the campaign is conceived, it shouldn’t just represent the message that ‘skinheads are bad’, those campaigns don’t work,” believes Klára Kalibová, director of the civic association In IUSTITIA.

There is also a question as to how an anti-extremist campaign will improve relations between the majority and Roma people. Police President Petr Lessy believes prevention is necessary. “When used together with police repression, prevention could work. Last year we achieved solid successes in the fight against extremism and it is important that we maintain that trend this year. That’s why we welcome the government strategy. I believe it definitely makes sense,” LN quotes Lessy as saying.

According to Miroslava Mareš, the precise look of the campaign will be important. “Its results can help, but if it it’s not planned and targeted correctly, it could be counterproductive and damage relations even more. However, in general what is most important is that politicians and society together create such an environment that adherents of the extreme right won’t bother taking action. This country has failed to create that environment for a long time,” Mareš said.

Executive Director of the ROMEA association Zdeněk Ryšavý said his group does not have a copy of the report even though it is a member of Task Force C at the Czech Interior Ministry. “I don’t know why some media outlets and selected nonprofits got the report first. ROMEA operates news server Romea.cz, which publishes articles critical of the ministry and the police. We are evidently blacklisted and have no right to see this report,” Ryšavý told news server Romea.cz, adding that he cannot therefore comment on the campaign. In his view, a campaign alone in general will not help anything and makes no sense. “It has to be prepared in the broader context. The actions of the government and the various ministries are often disorganized, there’s no concept behind them. This would have to be part of more extensive work, and mainly of more extensive investment. Roma people will not get out of their current situation on their own. People will say they don’t want to invest any more money into them, but there is not other way. Many studies confirm that such investment will benefit the state in the long run,” Ryšavý told LN.