Prague, March 8 (CTK) – Marian Kotleba, leader of the extreme rightist People’s Party Our Slovakia (LS NS) that succeeded to get into parliament in the general election on Saturday, often visited the Czech Republic where he found inspiration for his policy, daily Lidove noviny (LN) writes yesterday.
The success of the LS NS that gained 8 percent of the vote and 14 mandates in the 150-seat parliament was the biggest surprise of the general election in Slovakia.
“Litvinov and Most [in north Bohemia] are the towns afflicted by parasites who terrorise all decent Czechs,” this is what Kotleba said at the beginning of his speech there six years ago, LN writes.
Litvinov and Most have large Romany communities.
Kotleba was speaking at the Janov housing project in Litvinov that has a numerous Romany population, LN writes.
He visited the town in 2008 when a massive anti-Romany march was staged there. The rally ended with a mass brawl between the neo-Nazis and riot police, it adds.
The rally was staged by the Workers’ Party (DS) outlawed by the Supreme Administrative Court (NSS) over its racial and ethnic intolerance, support for totalitarianism and its extremist character incompatible with democracy in 2010.
The DS was then transformed into the Workers’ Party of Social Justice (DSSS). Both parties were headed by Tomas Vandas.
Kotleba has forged a long-standing friendship with Vandas, LN writes.
The rally in Janov inspired Kotleba to stage similar marches in Slovakia that have attracted the attention of some voters, it adds.
Before the Saturday election in Slovakia, DSSS members left for the neighbouring Slovakia to help the “Kotleba fans” with campaigning, LN writes.
Now they hope that his success can help them, too, it adds.
“For our members and sympathisers, this is naturally an encouragement and motivation before the regional election,” Vandas is quoted as saying.
“Yesterday I spoke with Kotleba who has confirmed to me that he will come to Prague as soon as possible,” he added.
Vandas is not the only Czech extreme rightist leader to have made the most of Kotleba’s achievement, LN writes.
Adam Bartos, leader of the extra-parliamentary National Democracy (ND), congratulated Kotleba immediately after the vote was taken, it adds.
“A resurrection of a Europe of free nations is unthinkable without the cooperation of patriots in individual European countries,” Bartos wrote in his letter to Kotleba.
On the other hand, the Czech Dawn party, that is also strongly opposed to migrants, has said collaboration with such a party was unacceptable for it, LN writes.
