Czech Party: ‘Ukraine has a terrorist government’

On September 16, Prague’s iconic Wenceslas Square witnessed a massive gathering of approximately 10,000 protesters demanding a shift in their government’s foreign policy. Led by the nationalist group Pravo Respekt Odbornost (Law Respect Expertise; PRO), these demonstrations challenged the Czech Republic’s current alignment with Western powers. The Western media has labeled PRO as pro-Russian and anti-Western.

Jindrich Rajchl, a Czech attorney who draws inspiration from American conservative figures like Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, serves as the leader of PRO. While some observers may view Rajchl’s movement as out of step with traditional Czech politics, he believes it resonates with a deeper sentiment in the country – the rejection of foreign domination.

PRO and its supporters perceive the current Czech government as traitors who are influenced primarily by Washington and Brussels. Despite the Czech Republic’s political turbulence in recent years, which the current government was expected to address, Rajchl and PRO argue that a national-conservative platform is the only solution to curb perceived excesses from foreign powers.

Political Landscape in the Czech Republic

The current Czech government, known as SPOLU (Together), is a center-right coalition comprising the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), and TOP 09, with agreements with the Pirate Party and the Mayors and Independents. It assumed power after the 2021 parliamentary elections, running on a pro-Western, anti-corruption agenda.

The 2021 elections were, in many ways, a referendum on the leadership of former Prime Minister Andrej Babis. Throughout his tenure, Babis faced allegations of corruption, including a case related to EU subsidy fraud. He also faced accusations of forcibly disappearing his own son and was mentioned in the Pandora Papers. Babis’s association with left-wing politics and his moderate foreign policy stance, which included support for French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for ‘strategic autonomy,’ led to portrayals of him as pro-China and pro-Russia.

The collapse of Babis’s left-wing coalition, which included his ANO (Yes) party and the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD), contributed to the rise of the pro-Western Czech right, now led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

Under Fiala’s leadership, the Czech parliament ratified a new defense treaty with the United States, allowing easier deployment of U.S. troops on Czech soil, a move critics see as undermining Czech sovereignty. Defense Minister Jana Cernochova and the coalition have also expressed interest in hosting a U.S. military base, a proposal that raises historical sensitivities given Czechoslovakia’s past experiences with foreign occupation.

The Emergence of PRO

Jindrich Rajchl and his emerging political party, PRO, offer an alternative to the current political landscape in the Czech Republic. PRO’s national-conservative, populist platform appears to resonate with disaffected Czechs who view the government’s economic policies and foreign alignment as detrimental.

Rajchl believes that PRO has a chance in upcoming elections. Internal polling suggests that the party is just above the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament in the 2025 elections. Rajchl hopes to form alliances with other right-wing parties like Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) or potentially Andrej Babis’ ANO, which is leading in polls. However, Politico’s latest tracker indicates that PRO stands at only 2%, below the threshold, with ANO holding the top spot with 34%.

PRO’s economic focus includes reducing social service spending, introducing university tuition, and addressing inflation concerns that have plagued the Czech economy. The government’s austerity measures, which include raising the retirement age and increasing taxes on the middle class, have triggered massive protests.

Foreign Policy and Ukraine

PRO ties the Czech Republic’s economic woes to aid provided to Ukraine, arguing that excessive spending is detrimental to the country. Rajchl maintains that preparing for nuclear conflict with Russia is unnecessary and advocates for peaceful relations with neighboring countries.

Regarding the recent conflict between Ukraine and Poland over grain exports, Rajchl suggests that it is rooted in Ukraine’s mismanagement of European and U.S. funds, leading to corruption and inefficiency. He accuses the Ukrainian government of firing rockets into EU territory as a form of blackmail, a claim that aligns with recent Polish investigations indicating Ukrainian origin for the rockets.

The Future of PRO

While not explicitly anti-American or anti-NATO, Rajchl expresses his preference for former U.S. President Donald Trump over current President Joe Biden. He believes that the current leadership in Washington is pushing divisive agendas that threaten Western civilization.

Looking ahead, Rajchl plans to run for the European Parliament in the June 2024 elections. He aims to investigate alleged crimes committed by European Commission members during the COVID-19 pandemic and form a national-conservative platform to counter Brussels’ influence.