President Milos Zeman arrived on Tuesday Independence Day celebrations in the garden of the US Ambassador’s residence in Prague. In a short speech, he presented his views on the current situation in the United States, with emphasis on the protests associated with the Black Lives Matter campaign.
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It is a little strange when the head of state uses invitations to diplomatic ground for such a rhetorical occasion. How curious Americans of all colors are about the Czech president’s opinion on their cultural wars, God forbid.
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Similarly, Zeman could, perhaps only in Czech and less detained, speak to the citizens in a square if he had been touring them. Here it sounded a little like he had come to speak in the souls of the Americans and pinch them to understand where the danger posed to freedom. Sure.
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So what the president said, in short, quoted by hrad.cz:
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“Today’s world is facing attacks on the independence of our citizens in both the United States and the Czech Republic.”
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“Imagine the current situation – street riots, burning cars, the destruction of statues in both countries, Ambassador, in both countries, and more. There are fools who claim to be leaders who state the right values, or even opinion leaders. ”
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“We need freedom of thought, we need common sense. And this is exactly the case with opinion leaders. All of this represents a situation in both countries that is against freedom. “
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“In conclusion, allow me, Ambassador, a very provocative sentence. And please believe me, I’m not only here as an independent citizen, I’m also here as a friend of America. You know that for sure. And in both positions, I say that the slogan “Black Lives Matter” is a racist slogan because it depends on all lives. “
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According to the Castle, participation in the American reception is part of the politics of all azimuths, or an example that the president takes care of relations with neighbors, as well as with China, Russia and even the West.
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So let’s imagine how he would talk now if the compass took him a few blocks away on the eve of the relevant national holiday to the Russian or Chinese embassies.
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What topic would he choose? Can you find five differences?
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Above all, it would be impossible to talk about anything remotely resembling a Black Lives Matter. There are no such people in Russia or China. Not because it is a happily stable society, but simply because it is forbidden.
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Thus, it is also difficult to imagine that Zeman would, for example, warn the Chinese against an attack on the “independence of citizens.” Representatives of the digital dictatorship would probably interpret it as a provocation. Especially from a representative of a country where, from time to time, it is necessary to hack constitutional officials because of who they should and should not meet.
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After the sentence “there are fools who claim to be leaders who state the right values, or even opinion leaders”, there would necessarily be an embarrassing coughing at the Russian embassy on May 9. Or should we not see it as an allusion to Vladimir Putin? Or some even bigger opinion classics?
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At the Chinese embassy, the gentlemen and ladies present – controlling doublethink – would probably be able to deal as properly and belong to Zeman’s appeal “we need freedom of thought”. But would it be tactical to push democratic corners like this at a holiday reception?
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There is no point in warning against destroying statues. Cases of someone stabbing Stalin or President Mao as racists have not been reported. On the contrary! Defamation and overthrow of monuments is a Western decadent convenience. The world is still fine in Russia and China.
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So: at a celebration at the Russian or Chinese embassy, Milos Zeman would speak a different language. He certainly wouldn’t be as “interlocking” as with the Americans.
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And if he did, he would have to talk to Russians and Chinese about the threat to freedom in a completely different way. Incomparably more urgent.
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Unfortunately, it is not surprising that Czech President Black Lives Matter understands racism, that is, he does not. But it doesn’t matter so much – if we leave out the question of whether any of the participants in the reception were offended. The price of Zeman’s speech lies in something else. And it’s not small.
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It is an opportunity to realize who we are close to as a state and we subconsciously relate to it as equals, so we have sovereign fun with it even at the highest level. And with whom, on the contrary, we do not dare to do so. Patterns of behavior, degree of hypocrisy and devotion, but that is our choice. Although the head of state skillfully sets the tone.
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