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Xenophobia on Rise in Europe: Czech Kids Perform Hitlerjugend-Style Show

© Sputnik / Vladimir Fedorenko / Go to the mediabankCharles Bridge over the Vltava River in Prague.
Charles Bridge over the Vltava River in Prague. - Sputnik International
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Jiří Vyvadil former senator and a deputy judge of the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic spoke to Sputnik about the xenophobic sentiment in Europe and how some politicians use it to their advantage.

“I do not rule out that in some countries the fascist rhetoric will be adopted in connection with the migrant issue. Nazism is present in the Czech Republic also. We thought that the neo-Nazi tendencies were only popular on social networks but it turns out that it happens in real life also,” Vyvadil said during an interview.

The former senator made these comments in response to a recent social media stir in the Czech Republic following the release of pictures from an elementary school performance in the old city of Jamnitz.

There was a competition in the school where children dressed up for different performances related to WWII. One team of six students called Hitlerjugend Jamnitz came in third in the competition.

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“The Hitlerjugend Jamnitz team was named the cutest in the competition as they took third place with 157 points,” the school’s website wrote as reported by IDNES newspaper.

According to the newspaper the school’s principal, Zdeněk Hirt, did not see anything wrong with the name of the team. In response to a question on whether he considers the name appropriate, Hirt said “What don’t you like about it?”

The theme of the competition was World War II and one of the tasks was to dress up in costumes of that era. “Not everyone can dress up as partisans or soldiers,” the principle said.

The Hitlerjugend team was wearing Swastika sashes which they allegedly received right before their performance. Despite the school principal defending the team’s name and costume, the school board removed the photos from the school website the following day.

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The contest organizers also seemed to have no problem with the name, but the mayor of the city said that he would like to hear the school principal explain the situation which has stirred the public comments on social media, “Of course, we want to know his position,” Mayor Miroslav Nevěčný said.

Similarly, the School Inspectorate of the Czech Republic has already announced that it would consider the matter. “Once we get all the necessary information, we will evaluate it,” deputy superintendent Ondřej Andrys said according to IDNES.

“It's hard to say in advance, but of course, we believe this is a very important matter and we will handle it responsibly,” Andrys said.

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