Conspiracy theorists, disinformation followers and football hooligans to protest Czech Govt COVID-19 measures tomorrow in Prague

Tomorrow, Sunday, 18 October, a conspiracy theory and disinformation-promoting entity calling itself the “Movement of Civic Dissatisfaction” (Hnutí občanské nespokojenosti – HON, an acronym meaning “The Hunt”) will protest the Czech Government’s measures against the pandemic, achieving something that had previously seemed impossible:  Uniting the football and ice hockey rabble-rousers of different clubs, all of whom are dissatisfied with being unable to unleash their hatreds in person in stadiums because of the measures instituted to bring the pandemic under control. The Czech Police report that hooligans from Baník Ostrava, Sparta Praha, Bohemians Praha, 1. FC Slovácko, SFC Opava, Zbrojovka Brno, Kometa Brno, Viktorie Plzeň, FC Zlín, Sigma Olomouc, and FK Pardubice are planning to attend the event.

The ultra-right “against totalitarianism”

“We want to demonstrate above all that we have managed to pull together during what is currently a difficult situation, to forget about which clubs we belong to, and together we are pointing out the problems that are now in our country. It is up to us to make clear our disagreement,” the demonstration organizers said on the website Hooligans.cz.

The protest is advertised as being against what the organizers are calling “totalitarian orders” by the Government in response to the pandemic. The violent hard core of sports club hooligans is and always has been a permanent fixture of the Czech ultra-right scene, and they frequently participate in neo-Nazi and similar events.

The police are remaining secretive about Sunday’s “diversification” of life in the Czech capital. According to police spokesperson Eva Kropáčová, they have prepared “adequate security measures that will be adapted to the situation as it unfolds.” 

How police approach this event will determine the entire situation in which the country may then find itself. The last time this movement held a demonstration, those attending did not wear face masks or maintain social distancing, which was possible under the relaxing of restrictions.

Today, though, “an assembly can be attended by no more than 500 participants, in groups of 20, as long as distance between the groups of at least two meters is maintained, and each individual is obligated to cover his or her respiratory tract (nose and mouth) with a prophylatic that prevents the spread of droplets,” the Capital City of Prague has decreed. The police should make clear in advance how they will proceed if demonstrators decide to protest without covering their mouths and noses or maintaining social distancing.

A murderer, a Nazi, a racist – conspiracy theorists and disinformation spreaders

As Jan Cemper has reported on news server Manipulátoři.cz, Vlastimil Pechanec, a convicted murderer and Nazi, is sharing a poster advertising the event online showing an extremist threatening Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš with a baseball bat. The event, Cemper reports, is being organized by the group with the acronym HON under the direction of the character actor Ivan Sochor, known for his work in advertising and as an extra, who is a typical example of how a person can make a 180 degree change in their opinions in just a few months. 
  
On 16 March, Sochor was promoting the hashtag “Masks for All” (Roušky všem) and was upset that doctors didn’t have enough personal protective equipment. At the most recent demonstration organized by HON, however, he announced that COVID-19 had been artificially developed by “somebody” who now wants to make a lot of money on it.

HON collaborates with something called the Civil Disobedience Movement (hnutí Občanská neposlušnost) run by Lenka Tarabová. She has labeled COVID-19 a “fake…, fraudulent and very lucrative pandemic.” 

Speaking on the “News and Commentary” (Události a komentáře) program of Czech Television, the public broadcaster, on 31 August 2020, Tarabová alleged a conspiracy is behind the pandemic, speculating that it may be an intentionally launched event, perhaps “If the economy was too inflated and it was necessary to abate that… Or if this is a game by global billionaires who need somehow to finish perfecting their toy called coronavirus…”.    

Manipulátoři.cz reports that Tarabová’s theories are very bizarre. For example, she says she is convinced that pedophiles with Satanist tendencies have attained high office, a theory also making the rounds in the USA with a slightly different twist.  

Naturally, the Illuminati are not missing from the equation of Tarabová’s conspiracy theories. A Czech Facebook group called “We’re Not Your Puppets” („Nejsme vaše loutky“) provides more information about this person behind the movement.  

Tarabová allows absolutely no deviation of opinion in that group. Those participating in it are banned from giving any indication there that wearing face masks could have a positive influence on the development of the pandemic.

Sochor’s HON movement also likes different conspiracy theories and disinformation websites such as Raptor TV and RT (Russian state television). These activities are then supported through the website called Zulice.cz (“From the Street”), run by Jan Čížek of the “Freedom and Direct Democracy” (SPD) party. 

“The ‘patriots’ with ‘common sense’ who are ‘graduates of the school of life’ are planning to attend Sunday’s demonstration against the measures and are being powerfully applauded for doing so by pro-Russian ‘activists’. Combating COVID-19 is becoming that much more difficult because of the high number of jerks in this society,” the analyst Roman Máca posted to Facebook about tomorrow’s event.