Muslim woman in niqab, Paris (file)
Muslim woman in niqab, Paris (file)Flash90

To protest the growing presence and influence of Muslims in his country, Czech opposition leader Tomio Okamura has called on his countrymen to take their pigs for a walk next to mosques. In a Facebook posting, Okamura, head of the Dawn of Direct Democracy movement, listed what he said were “specific instructions” about “how we can protect our democratic way of life and the heritage of our ancestors from Islam,” which has made great inroads into country, “before it's too late.”

“Can we discuss with them about why, if Islam is a religion of peace, as they claim, why they do not condemn publicly and loudly atrocities and killings committed in the name of Islam around the world, while at the same time loudly claiming their 'rights' and protesting against everything that is 'insulting'?,” Okamura asked rhetorically. He suggests boycotting Muslim businesses. “Each kebab we buy is funding for another Burka,” he wrote. “How will your wife eat if she has to wear a scarf on her face?”

Other suggestions by Okamura include “keeping your eyes open and immediately calling police if there is anything suspicious,” “publishing articles about the atrocities of Islamists in areas they control, and their atrocities in Western Europe (which our media does everything to conceal),” and “support at all levels prohibitions external manifestations of Islam (scarves, hijab, niqab etc. in public, at schools and offices), rejecting it as part of the political struggle for the enforcement of political Islam and Islamization efforts of the Czech Republic.”

And, he said, Czechs should “breed dogs and piglets as pets and walk them near their neighborhood centers, mosques, and popular hangouts,” making sure to give their animals a name and to call it often and loudly at the appropriate times.

Okaumura – born in Japan to a Japanese father and Moravian mother – was a successful businessman who took up politics in 2012, winning a seat in the Czech parliament. In the 2013 parliamentary elections his Dawn of Direct Democracy received 14 seats in the plenum. Okamura is called by liberals “the most dangerous man in Czech politics” for his views on Muslims.

Okamura has been portrayed in Roma (gypsy) press as a denier of the Nazi mass murder of gypsies and has been accused of expressing sympathy with a Czech neo-Nazi party.