Prague, Oct 24 (CTK) – The anti-migrant anti-Muslim movements were losing their mobilisation potential and they were disitegrating in the Czech Republic last year, giving way to populists, the annual report of the Czech BIS counter-intelligence service said on Tuesday.
The service did not record any activities of the extremists that might threaten the Czech Republic’s democratic foundations.
A considerable part of the activities was taking place online.
The right-wing extreme scene was weakened and authoritarian groups were even more fragmented, the report said.
The operation of anti-migrant movements contributed to the radicalisation of the views held by a part of the public, both of advocates and opponents of immigration.
However, no physical attacks or burning of refugee facilities were recorded.
In 2016, a rational social discussion and the real state of migration contributed to calming down the situation, while the number of anti-migrant rallies and their participants decreased, the report said.
Anti-migrant groupings were still fragmented.
“The populist groups which dominated the public space rejected alliances with right-wing extremists, also taking into account the fact that they might be discredited,” the report said.
“In the end, all anti-migrant parties except one were routed in the (October 2016 regional and Senate) elections,” it added.
The migrant crisis was associated with a continued formation of paramilitary groups, but there was no violence, the report said.
“Most of them adopted strongly pro-Russian attitudes that primarily arose from their anti-Western focus,” it added.
However, these groups were weakening along with the topic of migration, while the interest of the population in joining their activities diminished, the report said.
In the case of rightist extremists, the previously routine anti-Roma rhetoric was pushed to the background, and the topic of migration “evaporated,” being turned into disagreement with the EU and its policy as well as protests against its political representation.
Rightist extremists did not commit any serious physical attacks in connection with anti-Muslim and anti-migrant activities.
The way of direct actions of militant anarchists changed last year. They only claimed a single arson, but used anonymous threats of planting bombs, the report said.
