Šádí Shanáh, a candidate for the Green Party (Strana zelených – SZ) in the Czech Republic running for the European Parliament, has decided to respond to the xenophobic campaign being run by the Úsvit ("Dawn of Direct Democracy") movement of Czech MP Tomio Okamura and has posted his own e-fliers, called "Shanáh’s Statement on the launch of the campaign ‘Humor against Hatred – Šádí Shanáh’s Dawn of Human Decency’" on the Facebook profile of the Úsvit movement and of Okamura. News server Romea.cz brings you the full translation of that statement below.
Humor against Hatred
I hereby announce the launch of the Humor against Hatred campaign. It is time for the decent, intelligent part of Czech society to take exception to xenophobes and cut them down to size.
The economic and social crisis is introducing the very dangerous phenomenon of populism based on fear and hatred to the Czech Republic, just as it did in Germany during the 1920s and 1930s. Political parties like Tomio Okamura’s "Dawn of Direct Democracy" have cold-bloodedly calculated that it is possible to win votes by redirecting the frustrations of our fellow citizens who have been affected by this crisis against immigrants, Muslims, or Romani people.
People like [Úsvit candidate] Klára Samková have hijacked the traditional concept of liberal freedoms and values, passing themselves off as the protectors of those freedoms and values while grafting their own brand of modern racism onto that concept. I personally have become, and continue to be, a target of this current hatred.
My e-mail and my Facebook account have been hacked by right-wing extremists and I receive messages telling me to prepare to be deported, as well as other disturbing threats and ultimatums. On social networks I have been called, for example, a monster and a murderer of children.
All it took for me to have "deserved" this treatment is that I have an Arabic name and I defend the rights of Muslims. Whether I am or am not a Muslim is of no interest to the Islamophobes and xenophobes.
While until recently the Islamophobic and xenophobic community was more of a curiosity in the Czech Republic, we cannot help but notice that the activities of these incendiaries have now permeated the highest levels of politics. How else can we explain the fact that Czech MP Jana Černochová (Civic Democrats – ODS) or Czech Senator Pavel Trpák (Czech Social Democrats – ČSSD) are giving their auspices in the Czech Parliament to anti-Muslim "debates" led by members of the "Czech Defence League", an organization that figures on the Czech Interior Ministry’s list of extremists?
Czech President Zeman recently also drew an equation between Muslims and Nazis. I have decided, therefore to respond with humor due to these dangerously rising passions which some politicians are intentionally stirring up.
I have posted e-fliers from this campaign to the Facebook pages of "Dawn of Direct Democracy", of Tomio Okamura himself, and of the group "We Don’t Want Islam in the Czech Republic ("Islám v ČR nechceme", which is closely linked to the Czech Defence League). I will continue with this campaign and I hope others join me.
Let’s laugh at the xenophobes together! You can make your own poster here.
