Czech Jewish groups ask president to repudiate commentator

PRAGUE (JTA) — Czech Jewish groups have issued a joint statement calling on President Vaclav Klaus to disassociate himself from the anti-Semitic comments of Adam Bartos.

The European Shoah Legacy Institute and Jewish organizations such as the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, the Terezin Initiative and Prague’s Jewish Museum published a joint statement asking right-wing Czech politicians to distance themselves from Bartos’ anti-Semitic statements.

Bartos has written numerous blog posts on the nefarious role of Jews in history and present-day society. He wrote recently that Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has promised that the Czech Republic will accept up to 1 million Israeli refugees in the event of an Israel-Iran war.

On his website, Bartos has photographs with his “friends” and political right-wing allies, including with Klaus and Vice Chancellor Petr Hajek, among others.

The joint statement points out that even though Bartos is facing criminal charges in the Czech Republic, the politicians’ pictures with him on his site show an implicit acceptance of his views by remaining silent on the charges.