The Czech Republic’s globalist governing majority has voted to strip populist political leader Tomio Okamura—founder of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party and a member of the Chamber of Deputies—of legal immunity. Consequently, this will expose the Japanese-born Czech politician to prosecution over allegedly offensive campaign posters, with Okamura potentially facing a total of three years in prison.
Reminiscent of the lawfare campaign waged by former President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party against President Donald J. Trump in the United States, it appears the Czech government is seeking dubious legal means to blunt the country’s populist political insurgency. Currently, Okamura’s SPD and the ANO party—both right-wing and populist in ideology—comprise the bulk of the opposition in the parliament—and are just roughly 10 seats shy of holding a majority in the lower legislative chamber.
A series of campaign posts used by the SPD during last year’s Czech elections are at the center of the legal complaint against Okamura. One poster—apparently AI-generated—features a dark-skinned man holding a bloody knife with the caption: “Shortcomings in healthcare won’t be solved by ‘imported surgeons.’” According to the Czech police, the poster violated the law as it incites hatred against migrants and has a “racist and xenophobic undertone.”
Another poster included in the complaint features several Roma—commonly known by the exonym “Gypsy”—huddled smoking cigarettes instead of being at school. The Czech police claim this poster “has a racist undertone aimed at the Roma ethnic group.”
In an interview with the Czech newspaper Deník N, police spokesman Jan Daněk suggested that the parliamentary vote to strip Okamura of immunity likely opens the door to criminal prosecution. “The initiation of criminal prosecution is the most probable outcome,” Daněk said.
Meanwhile, Okamura remains defiant, responding to the immunity vote by stating: “The governing coalition will not silence me. I am facing a political trial.”
