Source: antikvariat-brno.cz
Roar of anti-Jewish hate in post-communist society
After the fall of communism, Czech society entered a period of uncertainty and identity search. Antisemitic currents used this to exploit traditional conspiracy theories about alleged Jewish power, adapted to contemporary political discourse. In Czech lands, the most visible representative of this trend was Týdeník politika (Politika Weekly), a Christian-branded magazine that radicalized over time. Articles predicted civil conflict, drew on Nazi-era rhetoric, and provided ideological ammunition for extremists. The publication was shut down in late 1992, and its editor-in-chief, Josef Tomáš, was convicted in 1994 of defamation of race, nation, and belief. Still, references to Týdeník politika continued circulating among neo-Nazi and far-right groups over time. Tomáš briefly re-emerged in 2008 as the press spokesman for the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia but resigned after a media outcry over his antisemitic past.
„The anti-Semitism of the Politika weekly is so apparent, crude, and perfidious at the same time, equally refined and vulgarly primitive, that there can be no doubt about the finding.“
Expert Opinion on the Weekly Politics (for purposes of the criminal investigation)
Faculty of Arts, Charles University (1993)
Further Reading / Sources
Pravicový extremismus a radikalismus v České republice
Mareš, Miroslav (2003), Brno: Barrister & Principal, Centrum strategických studií
Oponenti systému. Přehled radikálních a extremistických organizací v České republice. In: Fiala. Petr (ed.): Politický extremismus a radikalismus v České republice
Mazel, Michal (1998), Brno: Masarykova univerzita, pp. 117–277