July 27, 2007
Mgr. Martin Mejstrík
Senator, Parliament of the Czech Republic
Member, Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and
Petitions
Press release
Over 70,000 citizens ask for a ban on the communist ideology and symbols -
Senators are taking action
Prague, July 27, 2007. Senator Martin Mejstrík (indep.) presented a draft
amendment of the Penal Code today, aimed at banning propaganda of the
communist movement and banning communist symbols. He is joined by Senators
Richard Sequens, Josef Novotný, Jan Horník and Jaromír Stetina.
Action is being taken in the Senate for the second time on behalf of more
than 70,000 citizens of the Czech Republic who joined a petition called
"Zrusme komunisty!" ("Let's Cancel the Communists!",
www.zrusmekomunisty.cz). The petition calls upon legislators to forbid not
only the propaganda of totalitarian ideologies but also their symbols. The
text of the petition is as follows:
"We, the undersigned citizens of the Czech republic hereby declare:
The communists in our country are the same threat to democracy as the
Nazis
once were. Fifteen years after November 1989 they are striving for power,
without having contributed to our nation's coming to terms with its
communist past by as much as expressing sorrow or offering an apology.
They
have not renounced their symbols or their name which have represented
death
for thousands of citizens and expulsion, loss of freedom, property or
land,
loss of occupation or ban on education for hundreds of thousands of
others.
If the Communist party of Bohemia and Moravia insists on the name
"communist", it insists on class struggle, dictator****p of the proletariat
and restriction of citizens' owner****p rights, it wants the ideology
executed in practice. In this case, it must be excluded from the
democratic
competition of political parties.
Out of respect for the memory of a devastated country and hundreds of
thousands of wasted lives of fellow citizens we call upon our deputies and
senators to pass a legal norm which would ban Nazi, communist and fascist
propaganda in the names and programmes of political parties. We urge you,
in
the name of the future: ban the symbols of dictator****p!"
Senator Mejstrík explains: "In 2005, we presented a proposal for an
amendment of the Penal Code aimed at an explicit ban on communist
propaganda
which was passed by the Senate. It won the vote in the Chamber of Deputies
as well, before a repeated vote turned it down."
In its resolution No. 550 passed in November 2006, the Senate recommended
an
amendment of the Penal Code implementing a ban on the symbols ot both
totalitarian regimes of the 20th century.
"The executive power does not take action against left wing extremism.
This
is hardly a surprise - we have a direct successor of the criminal
communist
party in Parliament, a party for whom the citizens of this country weren't
worth even an apology. This is why we need to forbid this party and
parties
and movements similar to it in our country, including their symbols. It is
not undemocratical, quite the contrary. We are talking about a very
im****tant principle which is used in the European Union in relation to
extremist movements and parties - the principle of a 'democracy capable of
defending itself,' senator Mejstrík points out.
Contact:
Mgr. Martin Mejstrík, Senator
Parliament of the Czech Republic, Senate
Valdstejnské nám. 4, 118 01 Praha 1, Czech Republic, tel.: +420-25707 2786
mejstrikm@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
, www.martinmejstrik.cz
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