Infamous Czech right-wing extremist plays a Nazi in a new film
In a film by director Filip Renč that is currently in production, one of the Nazis is played by an infamous face on the Czech neo-Nazi scene, Jaromír Pytel. The Club of Military History of the "White Power European Patriots" (WPEP) has published photographs on its Facebook profile of Pytel with the film’s director and added a text stating that Pytel’s club has signed a contract with the production.
The first website to warn of the scandal at the end of June was Hrebenar.eu. "The producers of Renč’s film ‘Lída Baarová’ have signed a contract with neo-Nazi Jaromír Pytel’s club, which is known, for example, for anti-Romani marches and for organizing the widest possible range of neo-Nazi reunions," Hrebenar.eu reports.
Pytel has been long been engaged in the WPEP. The Antifa.cz website describes him (also known as DJ Ferda) as an activist who was a member of the neo-Nazi Workers Party prior to its court-ordered dissolution and was then the secretary of its successor party’s branch in České Budějovice, the Workers Social Justice Party (DSSS), before he was dismissed from that position by its leader, Vandas, because of infighting.
"In addition, Jaromír Pytel is the organizer of a nationalists’ meeting (the official name was the "W.P. Officially Unofficial International Meeting of Nationalists") which was held on 20 August 2011 in the Complex Mirage club in the town of Kaplice, which is located southeast of České Budějovice in the direction of the Austrian border. Mr Pytel presents himself as the owner of this business, which according to the claims of people who know local conditions is a ‘regular brothel’. Pytel is a passionate promoter of deflecting the ‘nationalist’ scene away from modern trends such as clothing and iconography co-opted from anarchists and anti-fascists, as well as the phenomenon originating with Russian hooligans called Hardbass," Antifa.cz reports.
From the text of the invitation to the 2011 Kaplice event it can be seen that the meeting targeted both nationalists and neo-Nazis as well as other extremists: "W.P. Officially Unofficial International Meeting of Nationalists !!! IF YOU CARE ABOUT THE FATE OF EUROPE THEN COME!!!… It is high time for those who really seriously feel themselves to be real Nationalists, not just here in the Czech Republic, but also in neighboring states, to gather at one table and discuss what is necessary to perfect in our work and how to move forward. We must say a clear NO to new styles in the NS movement and jointly tell the governing set our opinion of their moves, our position and our RESISTANCE. Every decent person with a National heart is welcomed. Accommodation, Beer, Food provided! 20 August 2011 at 11:00. Venue: complex MIRAGE; train to Kaplice or take the E55 from České Budějovice toward LINZ."
Pytel was also involved in the violent anti-Romani demonstrations in České Budějovice in 2013, where he led the so-called "decent citizens" on their rampages. He has, however, objected to the characterization that he is connected to neo-Nazis.
"I don’t know where they got that from. We are a Military History Club and we do both Germans and Americans," he told news server Lidovky.cz.
News server Romea.cz sent three questions to the NOGUP AGENCY s.r.o. company, which is producing the film, about its collaboration with the Military History Club:
1) Why have you decided to work with this group in particular?
2) Did you know about Jaromír Pytel’s activities, for example, his convening of anti-Romani demonstrations and other events?
3) Do you think it is appropriate to cast contemporary neo-Nazis who espouse intolerance in the role of Nazis in the film?
Despite repeated phone calls, the company did not respond by the time this article was originally published in Czech on 24 June 2015. Renč told news server Lidovky.cz that no neo-Nazis are performing in the film.
"That’s absurd," the director told Lidovky.cz. "The extras were provided by the extras department. We had hundreds of them, I really cannot know who is who. They were only wearing those uniforms because this is an historical film."
Renč allegedly has never concerned himself with the identity of his extras and does not plan to in the future, reports Lidovky.cz. The director has been previously criticized for his television serial "Sanitka 2" (Ambulance 2), which portrays Romani people as a bloodthirsty, dangerous, foreign and incomprehensible minority.
NOGUP AGENCY s.r.o. was awarded a grant from the State Fund for Cinematography in the amount of CZK 15 million for the film in November 2014. Five members of the fund’s board disagreed with the amount awarded and the way it was voted on and distanced themselves from its decision.
