Czech Police propose charging 15 women with promoting neo-Nazism

Detectives from the Czech Republic’s Organized Crime Detection Unit (Útvar pro odhalování organizovaného zločinu – ÚOOZ) have proposed prosecuting 15 women charged with promoting and supporting the neo-Nazi movement Resistance Women Unity (RWU), according to ÚOOZ spokesperson Pavel Hanták. Police believe RWU is the women’s branch of National Resistance (Národní odpor), an informal organization of Czech neo-Nazis. The women face up to eight years in prison if convicted.

The detectives charge that the women, who range in age from 22 to 33, have contributed to organizing various events as members of the movement in 13 separate cases and have produced and distributed RWU promotional materials since at least 2007. According to police, they particularly promoted the movement at events organized for ultra-right patrons. They also published invitations to such events and other materials on the Internet.

Moreover, according to the resolution on initiating criminal proceedings against the women previously published by Tomáš Pecina, a member of the board of the Sudeten-German Countrymen’s Association (Sudetoněmecké krajanské sdružení) in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, the women are alleged to have used funds they raised to support so-called Prisoners of War, or imprisoned right-wing extremists. Robert Cholenský, an attorney for some of those charged, confirmed the authenticity of the published resolution previously.

"The RWU is ideologically linked to a similar women’s organization in Hitler’s Germany which existed up until 1945 and featured the ideological subtext of the racial exclusivity of Aryan women," Hanták said in February 2012. He said the prosecution of the 15 women was linked to a 2009 police raid which resulted in charges against 18 right-wing extremists. Some of those prosecuted reportedly had links to the ultra-right militant organization White Justice, while others were suspected of plotting a terrorist attack.

Petr Minich, the Děčín district state prosecutor, confirmed that he has received the police motion. "Given the extent of the documentary material and its appendices, the supervising state prosecutor will study the file. This means we estimate the indictment could be filed by the end of February 2013," he said.

Resistance Women Unity is a Czech women’s organization established in summer 2007. Its aim is to contribute to strengthening opposition against a system that RWU believes is "aimed against the long-term survival of white families". According to its proclamations, RWU wants to reach out to women in the pro-national movement, to promote "the traditional family structure", and to speak out against feminism, among other things.

Some members of the RWU were also involved in the extremist Workers’ Party (Dělnická strana) prior to its being dissolved by the courts.

Michaela Rodová (previous surname Dupová) is one such former Workers’ Party member linked to the RWU. Dupová allegedly participated in creating and operating the RWU website and posted articles on it which reportedly disseminated and promoted Nazi and neo-Nazi ideas. Last October she was tried on those charges and was acquitted for a lack of usable evidence, although that verdict has not yet taken effect.