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Czech government to ask court to outlaw extremist DS

22 October 2012
2 minute read

The Czech government will ask the Supreme Administrative Court to outlaw the far-right Workers’ Party (DS) at the request of Interior Minister Ivan Langer (Civic Democrats, ODS) who described the party as extremist.

The DS is connected with other ultra-right groups and its events are attended, for instance, by the supporters of the neo-Nazi National Resistence and Autonomous Nationalists parties.

Czech Minister for Ethnic Minorities and Human Rights Dzamila Stehlikova (junior government Green Party, SZ) confirmed the government’s decision to CTK.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek (ODS) was determined to support Langer’s proposal to outlaw the DS a week ago already, reacting to the clashes between far right extremists and the police that occurred in Litvinov, north Bohemia, on November 17.

"Such excesses that happened in Litvinov must be severely punished," Topolanek then said.

According to Langer, it is impossible to conceal the activities incompatible with the functioning of a democratic law-abiding state behind the demand of a free competition between political parties and movement.

He pointed to the DS’s statement from October 17 in which the party declared "zero tolerance towards the post-November 1989 political system" saying that it has been calling for ousting of this system for a long time.

DS chairman Tomas Vandas told CTK previously that it was an "absolutely nonsensical decision" that had no legal substantiation.

He said the DS had never violated laws in any way and that the calls for its outlawing were a mere effort at intimidating an opposition political party.

He said that almost 29,000 people voted for the Workers’ Party in the October regional elections.

The Interior Ministry cannot outlaw a political party but it can ask the government to do. The government addresses the Supreme Administrative Court with the proposal.

There is no legal means to cancel the court’s decision, it is only possible to submit a proposal for the renewal of the proceedings.

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