Czech Republic: Neo-Nazi recidivist behind "anti-crime" demonstration

The “anti-crime” march that took place last Saturday in the town of Dřevnovice in Prostějov district with the participation of right-wing extremists has raised tensions between some people in the majority society and some in the Romani community in the nearby town of Dobromilice, where a similar event is rumored to be in the works for tomorrow. Police have not confirmed that information. No assembly has been officially announced to the authorities in Dobromilice.

“We are examining the information we have from our sources, but we have not confirmed there will be a gathering. We are negotiating with municipal representatives and nonprofit organizations. However, the police cannot resolve all of these problems – there are social problems with children, housing, etc., there,” said Police Coordinator for Minorities Michaela Sedláčková. She confirmed that police officers are patrolling the municipality more frequently.

Locals say the situation came to a head after a group of right-wing extremist participants in the Dřevnovice march visited Dobromilice last Saturday. “Romani residents are criticizing us for inviting them to the municipality, which is not true. Dřevnovice has done us a disservice, tension in the municipality is rising. We don’t want to add fuel to the fire, so we are suspending our local militia. We fundamentally disagree with the radicals’ actions,” said Jaroslav Jordán, an organizer of Dobromilice’s local militia.

Sedláčková said 12 right-wing extremists arrived in Dobromilice on Saturday but did not clash with locals. Police prevented them from marching through the municipality and arrested three of them on misdemeanor charges of disturbing public order.

Mayor Pavel Drnovský says no one has announced any events to the municipality. “We don’t know about any of that, we are taking action on the coexistence problems with Romani residents. The town council has passed an ordinance banning the consumption of alcohol in public spaces and we are completing another ordinance about public order,” the mayor said. Several meetings between town councilors, citizens, police, nonprofit organizations, the Regional Hygiene Station and the Office of the Regional Governor have been held on the topic.

Roughly 860 residents live in the village, including 250 Romani people whose permanent residences are registered there, but locals believe many more Romani people than that actually live there. Around 15 people have joined the local militia, which has sent its patrols into the street approximately 10 times. The militia says its aim is to improve coexistence in the village and to draw attention to potential problems.

Aleš Badinka is the name of the man who convened the “Gathering for Crime Reduction” (Shromáždění za snížení kriminality), as it was officially reported, on 15 Saturday in Dřevnovice, where he lives. The official invitation on Facebook, however, called the event a “March against Gypsy Terror” (Pochod proti cikánskému teroru). Who is this man who was fighting crime in Dřevnovnice (and later in Dobromilice) last weekend?

The website of Anti-fascist Action in the Czech Republic (Antifa.cz) says Aleš Badinka is a “local recividist and longtime neo-Nazi.” In an article entitled “Recidivists against crime”, Antifa writes:

“When Aleš Badinka, a 31-year-old recidivist and father of one, is not in custody or serving time in prison, he works as a stone-cutter in Jeseník. Even though Badinka has lived in Dřevnovice for many years, he is still a fan of the Baník Ostrava football club and commutes to their matches. One of his football escapades, in which Aleš and other Ostrava fans broke through security onto the pitch of the Brno football stadium in February 2009, brought him his first experiences with the media during the accelerated court proceedings that followed his arrest.

Aleš Badinka made proper use of his five minutes of media fame, telling journalists everything he could about his brushes with the law. Defending his actions at the football match in question, he said the following, which seems highly unlikely given his five previous convictions: ‘It was just my own foolishness – when they broke down the gate, I ran after the guy holding the megaphone to get him to tell everyone to go back to the stands. That didn’t happen, so I ran with the others outside to calm them down. I have never rioted at a football match, I don’t even attend them much.’ He then gave a sincere account of his criminal past: ‘A guy owned money to my girlfriend, so I hit him in the jaw. I’ve also driven without a license and beaten up gypsies.’ As if that weren’t enough, Aleš also confessed to the media that he has been convicted of failing to pay child support.”

Antifa goes on to analyze Badinka’s neo-Nazi career; photos in the piece include one of him pointing a gun at a woman’s face. The article (in Czech only) is at http://www.antifa.cz/content/recidivist-proti-kriminalit