The Czech Interior Ministry’s 2022 report on extremism in the country highlights the rise of right-wing extremist groups aligned with pro-Kremlin narratives, and the use of quasi-media projects as instruments of pro-Russian propaganda. The report states that events in the past year, such as rising prices, the energy and migration crises, and the war in Ukraine, have led to radicalization potential for extremist and xenophobic populist movements.

The report identifies the National Democracy party and the Workers’ Party as entities that help spread ideas generated by official Russian propaganda for the Central European region. With the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, disinformation media and conspiracy theorist websites moved away from publishing material related to the pandemic and began prioritizing material related to the war. The report notes that pro-Kremlin propaganda aims to break the unity of the international democratic community by planting xenophobic and conspiratorial topics.

The report states that xenophobic politicians are showing great flexibility in looking for “enemies,” moving from criticism of alleged Islamization, through criticism of alleged coronavirus totalitarianism, and after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, to a more intensive copying of the pro-Kremlin narratives concerning the conflict in Ukraine. During the coronavirus pandemic, a segment of the Czech population developed into an anti-systemic movement, who trust neither the state nor the principles on which it is based, and feel that their voice is not heard in the current situation and the current regime.

The report notes that conspiracy theories are an alternative belief system for this group, and that conspiracy theories often include xenophobic motives, making them easy to manipulate for propagandists from other countries and quasi-media platforms. Quasi-media platforms and accounts on social media have established a trend of aggressive discourse, normalized disinformation, and have strong radicalization potential. The report concludes that conspiracy theorists are becoming more and more isolated from society, with the recent success of the protest group around activist Ladislav Vrabel indicating that it is easy to mobilize members of the anti-system group via social media.

In summary, the Czech Interior Ministry’s report highlights the rise of right-wing extremist groups aligned with pro-Kremlin narratives, the use of quasi-media projects as instruments of pro-Russian propaganda, and the potential for radicalization due to events such as the energy and migration crises and the war in Ukraine. It also notes the flexibility of xenophobic politicians in looking for “enemies” and the isolation of conspiracy theorists from society, with the ease of mobilizing them via social media. The report highlights the need for vigilance against disinformation and propaganda and the importance of promoting unity and inclusivity.

Article by Prague Forum