Prague, 8 July 2015. In a letter delivered to the Government today, the Platform of European Memory and Conscience and its Czech Members warn that the planned “political institutes“ associated with parliamentary parties and funded from the state budget could be used for financing extremists on the right and left of the political spectrum.

The Platform and some of its Czech Member organisations delivered a letter to Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and the Christian Democrats in the coalition today asking them to remove the planned “political institutes“ from a Government proposal of an act on financing of political parties. The new act would introduce limits on party sponsoring, at the same time establishing vaguely defined “political institutes“ closely linked to the parties. These institutes, operating without any control mechanisms, would be entrusted with political education. Both the unreformed Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia KSČM and the populist right-wing Úsvit movement could then run such institutes directly funded from the state budget.

The Platform is campaigning for justice for crimes against humanity commited during Communism. Some of the responsible persons might be members of the KSČM until today. And persons associated with Úsvit were recently parading wooden gallows against immigrants in the streets of Prague.

Platform Managing Director Neela Winkelmann is quoted today by the Hospodářské noviny news server www.ihned.cz: „We need to see the situation in its context. There is growing fustration in Greece and the pressure of refugees on Europe is extraordinary. All this is playing into the hands of extremists.“ The signatories of the letter warn the Government that its proposal could weaken the quality of democracy in the country.

The Platform letter reprinted by Hospodářské noviny today (in Czech).