Ultraconservatives, right-wing extremists prepare to oppose Prague Pride

The ultra-conservative D.O.S.T. initiative, which in some respects is ideologically extremist and includes right-wing extremists on its staff, is planning to protest against the LBGTQ pride parade on 18 August which will mark the end of the Prague Pride festival of sexual minorities in the Czech capital. The D.O.S.T. leadership has issued a statement saying that they are also convening a gathering on Wenceslas Square, the starting point of the Prague Pride parade, to “defend the pride of normal people.” The ultraconservatives say Prague Pride is an “obscene festival” promoting “the intolerant ideology of homosexualism.”

The organizers of Prague Pride have reiterated several times that their event is not political. The festival is intended to introduce sexual minorities, support diversity, and contribute to respect for difference.

Last year’s first-ever Prague Pride parade also prompted resistance in conservative and ultraconservative circles. Czech President Václav Klaus made use of the concept of “homosexualism” then. His Vice-Chancellor, Petr Hájek,who is a signatory to the D.O.S.T. initiative, labeled homosexuals “deviant fellow-citizens”. Klaus then said the term “deviant” was “value-neutral”.

This year the parade will gather at noon at the statue of St Wenceslas on Wenceslas Square before setting off. Michal Semín, the chair of D.O.S.T., and vice-chair Petr Bahník have said that the fact that bisexuals, gays, lesbians and transsexuals will be gathering at the saint’s monument is an “attempt to provoke confrontation” and an “intentional provocation”.

The D.O.S.T. initiative wants to protest at the same place between 10:00 AM and noon. Its followers will then relocate to the traffic island that separates the road from the square. Those advocating the “voice of normality” are scheduled to remain there until 17:00. They have told the town hall to expect 200 protesters.

“The term ´festival´ in and of itself betrays the character of its ideology, which makes specific sexual practices the subject of a perverse pride and the basis of a freakish elitism,” Bahník and Semín’s declaration reads. In their view, sexuality can hardly be the subject of pride, it is “not normal” to demonstrate it in the streets, and they cannot imagine that heterosexuals would boast of their own sexuality.

The D.O.S.T. initiative leadership are also outraged by the fact that the festival is taking place under the auspices of several different institutions and politicians. Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (Civic Democrats – ODS) has granted his auspices to the festival, just as he did last year. Supporters of the event include CzechTourism, the Embassy of the United States of America, and Pražská správa nemovitostí (Prague Real Estate Management).

According to the director of Prague Pride, Czeslaw Walek, organizers stated last year that the parade is not a political action or demonstration, but is open to all. “We would like to show, in the year 2012, that Prague is a tolerant city and has been correctly included at the top of the list of Europe’s most gay-friendly cities,” Walek said. The organizers are counting on more than 8 000 people attending the parade.

The website White Media, of which Norwegian terrorist Breivik is a fan, has called for people to mobilize against Prague Pride. An article on the website entitled “Let’s stop the deviant parade” warns that in Prague “there will be another parade of deviants and AIDS producers, the so-called ‘Prague Pride’. The deviants say they want to make this display of filth an annual ‘tradition’.”

White Media believes that in addition to promoting “deviancy”, the event also has a completely obvious political dimension. “Among the main sponsors of this event are the embassies of Israel and the USA.The US ambassador is none other than the American Jew and human-rightsist left-winger, Norman Eisen, who has illegitimately carried out political activity in our country, engaging in support for gypsy initiatives, promoting multiculturalism, and leading the Western diplomats who loudly supported the first Prague Pride in 2011.”

White Media also says that the “main organizer of Prague Pride is the homosexual Czeslaw Walek, who is linked to many political subjects and is part Czech presidential candidate Fischer’s team.” The openly extremist website goes on to say: “The West, through its decadence and putrefaction, has now completely taken over and is doing its best to spread this disease into the countries that have resisted so far.”