Czech Internet users fall for ultra-right disinformation parody - and instead of laughing, they lash out

The Czech ultra-right, as part of its disinformation campaigns, occasionally tries to be funny. That is the case of their recent parodic call on Facebook for Czechs to “kneel” before Romani people and kiss their feet, including a doctored photo of Romani men supposedly holding a sign asking for that to happen.

It is probably not very surprising that quite a few of the adherents of the ultra-right do not understand that the meme is a parody. The message of this particular hoax on the Czech citizenry reads as follows:

“As you certainly know, in Western countries the trend is for anti-fascists to display their apologies for the behavior of the majority society by kneeling before a discriminated group in the population and kissing their feet. I, in collaboration with other nonprofit organizations, am sending you the following challenge: FIND A ROMANI MAN, KNEEL BEFORE HIM, KISS HIS FEET AND APOLOGIZE TO HIM FOR THE BEHAVIOR OF THE MAJORITY CZECH POPULATION – AND THEN SEND US A PHOTO. An example can be the chair of the Pirates, Mr Bartoš, who has supported Romani people more than once and expressed his respect for and solidarity with Romani people… Let’s apologize to the Roma for the years of discrimination, oppression and hatred. We will choose the best photo and have a small surprise for the winner. Let’s show that tolerant people can also be found in the Czech Republic. Please send the photos as messages. – Left-wing Pirate activist Markéta”

A social media user named “Martin Velek” responded to this parodic call as follows: “Look at yourself, what you look like, and mainly what you’ve done with your life. Then make threats, you activist, you look like a 90-year-old lady’s genitals, and your ideas apparently do not come from the upper part of your body, but the lower part.”

Many reactions of a similarly aggressive nature have been generated by the hoax. More than 2 000 comments have been posted in response and it has been shared more than 1 800 times.

According to news server Manipulátoři.cz, the authors of the post have made use of the particular photograph from an actual demonstration in the past, doctoring the content of the sign the men are holding in order to mislead those who come across the meme. “The page called ‘Left-wing activist Markéta’ is behind this falsified image and is connected with people around various would-be prank parties. What is actually happening here is that people around the Tricolor movement are attempting to damage the Czech Pirate Party and non-profit organizations,” the news server reports.