Extremist with a criminal record runs for Prague City Assembly: wants to ban foreign languages in the city

Filip Vávra, once the leader of the extremist movement "Národní odpor" ("National Resistance"), now heads a list of candidates for the Prague City Assembly elections. His platform is built around the demand that only Czech be spoken in Prague and that the city be rid of anything "foreign" — including foreigners, tourists and elements of foreign architecture.

Vávra declined to answer direct questions about his political activities, so all of his statements below are drawn from social media. "We will not allow the bastardization of Prague, and we will speak Czech in it. Everywhere… In Prague, only Czech or nothing at all. Out with everything that doesn't belong to Prague," he declared.

A programme built on utopia and populism

Political scientist and extremism expert Aleš Michal called Vávra's election platform incoherent and vague. According to him, it combines nationalism with ideas of total control and regulation, and some of its points are downright utopian — for instance, he described the demand for "zero tolerance" toward homelessness as a classic populist slogan.

The candidate promises voters he will restore Prague's "original Czech identity" — his logic being that fewer foreigners and illegal migrants would supposedly lead to less crime and calmer streets. "I'm 48 years old, and I remember how back in 1990, every building in the Old Town was full of Czechs, and all the neighbours knew each other. We need to bring that back," Vávra said.

A march on the anniversary of "Kristallnacht"

The expert noted that Vávra's campaign rhetoric is openly nationalist and xenophobic, stirring hatred toward anything foreign — a hallmark of "Národní odpor" as well, a movement now widely regarded as part of the classic far-right scene.

Under Vávra's leadership, National Resistance organized torch-lit marches through Prague's Jewish Quarter. The most notorious was an attempted march on November 10, 2007 — the anniversary of "Kristallnacht." Vávra also organized rallies in support of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, whom he invited to Prague.

It was in connection with the movement's activities that, following a large-scale police operation in 2009, Vávra and several other members were charged with supporting and promoting an organization aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms. The case involved distributing propaganda materials, organizing rallies, and running extremist websites. The trial dragged on until 2024, when Vávra's suspended sentence was upheld.

Read also: Free Czech courses for foreigners: where to learn

Source: novinky.cz