Pavel Landovský: Rising intolerance in Czech Republic is turning into fascism

News server Parlamentnilisty.cz reports that actor Pavel Landovský (75) is adding his voice to the Romani resistance in the Czech Republic. In his view, there is no point in banning the Communist Party now, but 40 “red” years and 20 years of pseudo-democracy may throw the country into the clutches of neo-fascists and neo-Nazis, which would be a disaster. The actor told the news server that he has experienced wonderful times with Romani people in his day.

Landovský says former Communist Party members have reincarnated as democrats and “screwed” their way into offices of state. “They’re a band of whores,” he says, not mincing words.

“When civil war was rampaging in Russia, my father saw how the Bolsheviks worked there. When they threw the White Guard out of a town, they made the locals line up in threes and led them into the building of the high school. That’s where they shot them. Dad went to take a look and saw hundreds of corpses. Someone’s eye was stuck to the wall who had been shot from behind. He used to tell us about it,” Landovský reminisces, saying his hatred of communists was formed back then. His family returned to Czechoslovakia in 1921 after traveling through Finland and Poland. After WWII was over in 1945, his father met a former schoolmate of his, Mr Kravčenko, on the street in what was then called Německý Brod and invited him to visit several times. This member of the Red Army told more stories of Bolshevik atrocities to them at home which confirmed Landovský in his hatred.

Landovský was taken into custody several times after signing Charter 77. “I was in jail with Gypsies and I have really loved them ever since. I like their sense of humor,” the actor says, adding that Romani people “are free-thinkers and the world needs human diversity”.

Landovský does not believe there is any point now in resolving the communist question once and for all by banning the party, saying he believes that should have happened immediately once “serfdom was abolished”, as he refers to the changes in 1989. Nevertheless, he believes the party should change its name from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy) to the “Union of Promoters of Communism” (Svaz příznivců komunismu).

“No one can prevent someone from communist thinking. Some of them are addicted to it. It’s important that at least some democracy remain in place here,” Landovský opines. He says that since politics is the administration of public affairs, party chair Radek John (alias Vít Bárta) was clever to pick the name of Věci veřejné (Public Affairs) for that party. Unfortunately, what is now underway is rather the administration of purely private affairs, because “people are in politics who have no sense of responsibility, they are spitting on their country and looting it.”

His perception of the other extreme, the neo-Nazis, is even worse: “My leg is screwed up because of the Nazis. I was buying a shirt at an outdoor stand and a 30-year-old, young, strong, shaven-headed guy, who had been lying in wait for me a long time, grabbed me and threw me to the ground. My left leg has hurt ever since. When he came up before the misdemeanor proceeding at the town hall, he said I had insulted his mother. What rubbish. He was a trained Nazi thug. I’ve started carrying a weapon, and the next time I see him I’m going to get rid of him and go to prison,” the actor said. He couldn’t remember the name of his assailant or the exact spot of the incident, but said it was probably somewhere in Mníšek pod Brdy, near where he lives.

“Unfortunately, that is the future of this country. Rising intolerance, which is transforming into fascism thanks to primitives. In such a situation there is always some house painter, some new Hitler, to come along and the tumult begins. The country has all the elements in place for it now. Then they’ll dig me out of my grave, douse me with gasoline and set me on fire,” Landovský said, adding that he would join a Romani resistance group if he’s still alive when one form because it would be fun to join the Romani partisans and “kick some Nazi ass” together.