Final Word from Monday, July 18, 2005
When Václav Klaus speaks as president, the majority of Czechs tend to agree, a few are violently opposed on principle, and most foreigners shake their heads in disbelief. Two recent Klausisms, one against paying compensation to anti-Fascist Germans from WWII and the other against mass immigration, spoke to the Czech spirit. Czechs want the CR for themselves, even though they aren't overly bothered by foreigners who adopt local customs. Most Czechs who embraced EU accession didn't realize they were also voting for 1m foreigners to flow eventually across their borders (although Vladimír Špidla dutifully informed them of this). There's a glaring difference today between the immigration situation in multicultural Europe and the very-Czech CR. By condemning mass immigration, Klaus is skillfully using the Czech fear of invaders in his broader battle against Brussels.[Czech Republic European Union immigrants World War Two Second]