In 1986, a group of young racists in Česká Lípa were among the first in the city to align themselves with the extremist wing of the skinhead subculture, carrying out attacks against local Roma residents. The State Security soon began monitoring this group’s activities.
Import of racist violence from the West
In the daily report of the StB dated September 11, 1986, authorities noted the emergence of a group of young people in Česká Lípa who openly identified with the skinhead movement, expressed fascist sympathies, and concentrated their aggression ‘especially on attacking people of gypsy origin.’ This reflected a broader transformation within the youth neo-Nazi and racist spectrum in late socialist Czechoslovakia. The skinhead subculture, which had been spreading across Western Europe since the early 1980s, began to take root in Czechoslovakia, influenced by imported music (particularly Oi! and punk) and sensationalized coverage in foreign media. While non-racist and apolitical skinhead currents appeared later, the racist wing quickly gained traction, particularly in regions with existing social tensions. By the 1990s, Česká Lípa had become one of the notable centers of skinhead neo-Nazism in the Czech Republic.
“Justifying violence against Roma and foreign workers… and at the same time expressing anti-regime positions enticed the first individuals to constitute Czech skinheads.“
Miroslav Mareš
expert on extremism
Further Reading / Source
Specifika neonacistického hnutí skinheads na Liberecku (bachelor thesis). Pardubice: Univerzita Pardubice
Ceé, Vojtěch – 2009
Kultura svépomocí. Ekonomické a politické rozměry v českém subkulturním prostředípozdního reálného socialismu a postsocialismu. Praha: Filosofická fakulta Univerzity Karlovy
Daniel, Ondřej et. al. – 2016
The Emergence of Skinheads in the ČSSR. Social Pathology and Prevention, 4 (2)
Rákos, Radek – 2018