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Workers' Party of Social Justice

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Workers' Party of Social Justice
Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti
AbbreviationDSSS
FounderJan Broj
FoundedJanuary 29, 2004; 21 years ago (2004-01-29)
DissolvedOctober 19, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-10-19)
Preceded byWorkers' Party (since 2010)
HeadquartersCiolkovského 853/1
161 00 Prague
NewspaperWorkers' List
Youth wingWorkers' Youth
Paramilitary wingCivic Guards[1]
Ideology
Political positionFar-right[2][3][7][8]
Colours  White
  Red
  Blue
Website
www.dsss.cz

The Workers' Party of Social Justice (Czech: Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti) was a Czech militant far-right political party, which existed from 2004 to 2024. In 2010, the party, under its original name of the Workers' Party, was banned by the Czech Supreme Administrative Court, becoming the first party since the re-establishment of democracy in the Czech Republic to be banned on ideological grounds. The party subsequently changed its name to the Workers' Party of Social Justice.

The party's program contained strict social conservative and anti-internationalist policies, and called for the overthrow of liberal democracy in the Czech Republic. The party was never represented in any legislative body in the country, and its highest vote-share was 1.14% in the Czech legislative election in 2010.

History

[edit]

The party was formed in 2004 and received less than 1% of the vote in its first election, but shortly afterwards attracted significant media attention for organizing riots in quarters of Litvínov with a significant Roma population.[9][10] The party gained subsequent publicity by organizing a march against LGBT people in Tábor.[11]

In spring 2009 a petition by the Czech Government to ban the Workers' Party was dismissed by the Czech Supreme Administrative Court,[12] with the presiding judge ruling that the applicant had not provided sufficient evidence, in what was seen as a botched application.[13][14] Following violent attacks against Czech minorities by far-right extremists, such as the Vítkov arson attack of 2009,[15] the government filed a more detailed petition for the ban. After discussion by the Czech Supreme Court in January and February 2010, the party was banned, marking the first instance of a party being banned for its ideology in the modern history of the Czech Republic.[16] The party was transformed into a "Party of Citizens of the Czech Republic",[17] and the renamed as the Workers' Party of Social Justice, retaining its program with small adjustments.

Program

[edit]

The party's program called for the overthrow and subversion of the Czech political system, which the party described both as "liberal"[18] and "totalitarian".[19] Its official slogan for the 2009 European elections was: "Resist the totalitarian regime". Some high-ranking party officials, including a Prague party leader, were associated with neo-Nazi groups such as Národní odpor, the Czech subsidiary of an international militant neo-Nazi group.[20][21]

The party's program included reducing national debt while increasing old age pensions and reducing the retirement age.[22] Concrete proposals included restrictions on foreign investment, including a total ban on purchases of real estate by foreign nationals,[22] and nationalization of certain companies.[23]

The party also wanted to restore the death penalty,[23] criminalize "sexual deviation", including homosexuality,[23] abolish registered partnership, reduce the rights of criminal defendants,[23] and in some cases create new crimes with a retroactive effect.[23] Some of the most controversial proposals included marking of ethnicity in ID cards,[24] and giving the police discretion to treat arrestees inhumanely.[23]

In international affairs, the party opposed NATO and the European Union, and demanded that the Czech Republic leave those organizations.[24] The party was strongly anti-American and pro-Russian,[25] stating that the Czech Republic must "immediately and strongly restore its relations with Russia".[26] The chairman of the party arbitration commission congratulated Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran after his victory in the 2009 presidential election.[27]

Election results

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Czech legislative election

[edit]
Year # of total votes Vote % Seats
2010 59,888 1.14 (10)Increase 0
2013 42,906 0.86 (12)Decrease 0
2017 10,402 0.20 (16) Decrease 0

European Parliament

[edit]
Election List leader Votes % Seats +/− EP Group
2014[a] Tomáš Vandas 7,902 0.52 (#15)
0 / 22
 New −
2019[b] 4,363 0.18 (#23)
0 / 22
 Steady 0
2024[c] Hynek Blaško 14,910 0.50 (#12)
0 / 22
 Steady 0
  1. ^ Run in a joint list with SPE.
  2. ^ Run in a joint list with NF.
  3. ^ Run as part of the Alliance for the Independence of the Czech Republic.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "DSSS obnovila činnost svých stranických hlídek". ct24.ceskatelevize.cz. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Mareš, Miroslav (2012). "Right-Wing Extremism in the Czech Republic" (PDF). Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b Lochmannová, Alena; Kolář, Ondřej (2021). Extremism Behind Bars. Plzeň: University of West Bohemia. p. 83. ISBN 9788026110248.
  4. ^ Cameron, Rob (4 May 2017). "Photo of Czech girl Scout standing up to skinhead goes viral". BBC News. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  5. ^ Bardovic, Jaroslav; Mihalik, Jakub (2019). Migration: The Challenge of European States. Stuttgart: ibidem. p. 138. ISBN 9783838213446.
  6. ^ Rosenfeld, Alvin H. (2019). Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism: The Dynamics of Delegitimization. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 425. ISBN 9780253038722.
  7. ^ Lansford, Tom (2015). Political Handbook of the World 2015. New York City: CQ Press. ISBN 9781483371559. Originally formed as the Worker's Party, a far-right grouping led by Tomáš VANDAS
  8. ^ Deland, Mats; Minkenberg, Michael; Mays, Christin (2014). In the Tracks of Breivik: Far Right Networks in Northern and Eastern Europe. Münster: LIT Verlag. p. 79. ISBN 9783643905420.
  9. ^ "Litvinov has seen a rough fight with the extremists, 15 injured" (in Czech).
  10. ^ "Journalist injured while covering rally".[dead link‍]
  11. ^ "Saturday in Tabor: both gays and extremists" (in Czech).[dead link‍]
  12. ^ [1]. Supreme administrative court judgment, 4.3.2009 (only in Czech)
  13. ^ "Top court rejects government's petition to ban extremist Workers' Party".
  14. ^ "Dělnická strana slaví, soud zamítl návrh vlády na její zrušení" [The Workers' Party is celebrating, the court rejected the government's proposal to abolish it]. iDnes.cz (in Czech). 4 March 2009.
  15. ^ "Czech Police arrested extremist leaders over Vítkov arson".
  16. ^ "Soud zrušil Dělnickou stranu. Chtěla rozvrátit stát". Aktuálně.cz. 17 February 2010.
  17. ^ "Zakázaná Dělnická strana půjde do voleb, jen pod jinou hlavičkou - Domov". Lidovky.cz. 20 February 2010.
  18. ^ "Let's clean up our own country". Workers news (Official party newspaper) (in Czech).
  19. ^ "Vandas: The post-November regime has discredited itself". Workers news (Official party newspaper) (in Czech).
  20. ^ "Workers' Party election candidates and Nazi symbols" (in Czech).
  21. ^ "The Workers' Party has been taken over by neo-Nazis" (in Czech).
  22. ^ a b [2]. Party program, article III
  23. ^ a b c d e f [3]. Party program, article II
  24. ^ a b [4]. Party program, article I
  25. ^ [5]. Workers news: "Nobody really wants a change?" (Official party newspaper, only in Czech)
  26. ^ [6]. Workers news: "Confession of a patriot and a good son of the Homeland" (Official party newspaper, only in Czech)
  27. ^ [7]. Workers news: "Who do you want to lecture?" (Official party newspaper, only in Czech)
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