A Czech politician has given up his candidacy to the European
Parliament, after a video showed him singing Nazi songs and making antisemitic
comments.
Milan Zavada, a young politician from the liberal party ANO who was
nominated by his party for the European Parliament elections, was forced to
give up his candidacy after a video emerged on Youtube, showing Zavada, 23,
singing Nazi songs and making antisemitic comments during a party several years
ago. Zavada, who appeared to be drunk during the party, was also filmed
urinating in the center of the room where the party was held.
In an interview with the Czech station TV Barrandov, which broadcast the
video showing the young politician using Nazi and antisemitic slogans, Zavada
labelled his behavior as typical “mischief.” He argued that he had already paid the price
for his behavior after volunteering for several years in hospitals and
charities.
Zavada also denied holding any Nazi or antisemitic views.
“I was just a normal teenager
who grew up at a time when everyone had a mobile phone with a camera, so
someone filmed me saying these things during the party,” he claimed.
“I then volunteered many years in hospitals and charities, so I feel that
my conscience is completely clean on this issue.”
The former political front-runner also claimed that the video appeared
on Youtube as the result of a revenge ploy by his ex-girlfriend after the
couple broke up.
“It was not an attempt to
discredit me politically, but based on a personal conflict,” he said.
Shortly after the video appeared, ANO’s leaders demanded Zavada withdraw
from the party’s list of candidates to the European Parliament. He was due to
run in the late May elections.
“We learned about the video
during the weekend and we agreed that he would resign,” ANO spokeswoman
Lucie Kubovicova stated. “He accepted it and said that he regretted it and
that he had not intended to harm the movement.”
