Czech Police investigating Aréna music venue for organizing benefits named after a controversial WWII-era Ukrainian nationalist
The Aréna club in Plzeň, Czech Republic has been regularly holding an event they are calling a "Bandera Party", a discotheque in support of Ukraine, but its name has sparked agitation on social media. Many people are criticizing its reference to Stepan Bandera, the WWII-era Ukrainian nationalist leader.
The Czech Police are investigating the matter and Mayor of Plzeň Roman Zarzycký (Association of Dissatisfied Citizens – ANO) has objected to the event. Czech news servers Manipulátoři.cz, covering misinformation in the media, and local news server Plzeňská drbna have covered the benefit series.
According to the invitation to these events on Facebook, a “Bandera Party” was held in November 2022, in January 2023 and last month as well. “We are paying due attention to the case of the planned dance entertainment under the name ‘Bandera Party’, which is to take place in Plzeň. We are currently collecting and evaluating the necessary information,” the Czech Police have tweeted.
“The police have contacted several of the citizens who have informed us that this event is being held and warned us about it. Naturally the police also keep an eye out themselves operationally for events of this type,” police spokesperson Michaela Raindlová told news server Romea.cz.
“As far as the previous events of a similar type that have been held in the past, officers monitored the situation and responded adequately to any eventual illegal behavior,” the spokesperson said. Many people are criticizing the event on social media as promoting Nazism through its name.
As the leader of the Ukrainian nationalists, Stepan Bandera, during the Second World War, declared Ukraine an independent state and relied on support from the German Wehrmacht. However, he was arrested and imprisoned by the Gestapo.
Bandera’s supporters collaborated with the Germans in some locations and fought against them in others. Afterwards, they brutally expelled Polish people from what is western Ukraine today, murdering more than 100,000 people, according to Polish estimates.
They are also to blame for murdering Czech people in Volhynia and for murdering Jewish people. Bandera is considered one of the most controversial figures in European history.
The Ukrainian nationalist was murdered in Germany in October 1959 by an agent of the USSR. The organizers of the event in Plzeň advertise it online as chiefly supporting the armed forces of Ukraine.
“From the discotheque held on 14 January, the following was purchased for the needs of the Army: Long underwear, sleeping bags, tactical gloves, mats. We also donated resources for personal hygiene and first aid medicines,” the Facebook page for the event reads.
All of that material, according to the announcement, was sent to Donetsk. The mayor of Plzeň has objected to the event’s name referencing Bandera.
“I really don’t want this in Plzeň! I call on all decent operators of restaurants and other entertainment enterprises not to provide space to the organizers of such events. At the same time I call on all the citizens of Ukraine to behave decently in Plzeň and I thank those who do so. Bandera was a war criminal. The Banderites were responsible for massacring the Czechoslovak population as well. Events of this kind are unacceptable to me. Given the fact that they are being held in a private venue, however, we have quite limited options. We have therefore contacted the Police of the Czech Republic,” Mayor Zarzycký posted to his Facebook profile.
