Czech NGO calls for removal of Czech Education Minister

Last week the Tolerance and Civil Society civic association (Tolerance a občanská společnost) called on Czech PM Petr Nečas to remove Czech Education Minister Josef Dobeš from office over his appointment of Ladislav Bátora as head of human resources at the ministry. “Mr Prime Minister, remove Education Minister Dobeš. He has already lost credibility and his remaining in office casts a shadow over the entire ministry. Two problems would be immediately solved by his removal. You would be cleansing the ministry of the anti-Semitism and fascism that has left such a bad taste in everyone’s mouths, and most of all you would be making it clear to society that it is unacceptable, as some have done, to compare Ladislav Bátora to Leopold Hilsner, the homeless Jewish man who was sentenced to life in prison on the basis of a false accusation of having committed ritual murder,” reads the open letter sent by the association. News server Romea.cz publishes it in full below.

Mr Prime Minister and Government,

The “Tolerance and Civil Society” association (Tolerance a občanská společnost) is hereby expressing its serious concern over the news that Ladislav Bátora is meant to lead the Education Ministry’s human resources department. This person has celebrated an anti-Semitic book, admires the fascism of the era of the Czechoslovak First Republic, and has long collaborated with institutions on the right-wing extremist scene.

Bátora may have come to Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport on the recommendation of Petr Hájek and President Václav Klaus, but he comes from an environment that is incompatible with the mission of that educational, formative institution. We are convinced that the state security forces involved in following political extremism have definitely informed you all about Ladislav Bátora. Nevertheless, permit us to once again recapitulate the basic information about him so we can be sufficiently sure the entire government has been informed about his case.

According to Education Minister Dobeš, Ladislav Bátora is the most appropriate candidate for the director of the ministry’s human resources department. We fundamentally disagree with that opinion and hereby express our utter bewilderment that the minister should be of that opinion given the following facts.

As chair of the Akce D.O.S.T. civic association, Bátora did not prevent the publication on that organization’s website (http://www.akce-dost.cz) of at least two anti-Semitic articles. Despite repeated warnings that such texts are objectionable, he has left them on the site. In the past, he has mentioned “Freemasons” in his own texts, who in his view are managing the pillars of the current order in the Czech Republic. In 2007, he said Mr Kaplický’s architectonic design for the National Library was a “perverse” monstrosity that could only be tolerated as a design for a Masonic Temple. He even closed a letter to the daily Lidové noviny interceding on behalf of a position taken by President Václav Klaus by using the salutation once used by First Republic-era Czech fascists from the National Fascist Corporation (Národní obec fašistické – NOF) – and the letter was published.

Bátora next caused a media storm when it was determined that on 17 December 2005 he had attended a closed lecture of the Patriotic Front to hear the former press spokesperson of the neo-Nazi National Resistance (Národní odpor – NO), Petr Kalinovský, speak on the topic of “The history, causes and development of Czech anti-Jewishness”. The event was attended by the most hardcore Czech anti-Semites from across the extreme right spectrum, from the nationalists to the neo-Nazis (the Patriotic Front – Vlastenecká fronta, National Corporativism – Národní korporativismus, the NO, National Unity – Národní sjednocení, and the editor of the anti-Semitic magazine “The Last Generation” – Poslední generace.)

Bátora’s contribution to the volume “Česká revue” (Czech Review) is no less striking. In it he calls the book “Zkáza Slovanů” (“The Adulteration of the Slavs”) by a leading 19th-century anti-Semite, Rudolf Vrba, “brilliant”.

It must be emphasized that Education Minister Dobeš is very familiar with all of this information. He is also quite aware that Bátora has never distanced himself from any of these activities. Even though these facts have prompted an outcry from many educational experts, non-governmental associations, politicians and publicly known figures, Minister Dobeš has publicly stated that he is unaware of all of this. He would not admit to Bátora’s extreme opinions when the man was his adviser, but minimized them and refused to concern himself with them. On the contrary, he has now elevated his adviser to director of human resources, even though Bátora has told the public he would do it all again if he had the chance.

Mr Prime Minister, remove Education Minister Dobeš. He has already lost credibility and his remaining in office casts a shadow over the entire ministry. Two problems would be immediately solved by his removal. You would be cleansing the ministry of the anti-Semitism and fascism that has left such a bad taste in everyone’s mouths, and most of all you would be making it clear to society that it is unacceptable, as some have done, to compare Ladislav Bátora to Leopold Hilsner, the homeless Jewish man who was sentenced to life in prison on the basis of a false accusation of having committed ritual murder.

On behalf of o.s. Tolerance a občanská společnost

Ondřej Cakl