Michael Ejercito
2017-10-08 12:49:59 UTC
The Czech Donald Trump
"I have stopped believing in multiculturalism."
by Soeren Kern
October 8, 2017 at 5:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11122/andrej-babis-czech-trump
Andrej Babis, one of the Czech Republic's wealthiest people, presents
himself as a non-ideological results-oriented reformer. He has pledged to
run the country like a business after years of what he calls corrupt and
inept management. He is demanding a return of sovereignty from the European
Union and rejects the euro.
Babis's anti-establishment party ANO (which stands for "Action of
Dissatisfied Citizens" and is also the Czech word for "yes") is centrist,
technocratic and pro-business. ANO, which rejects political labels, has
attracted voters from both left and right, pulling support away from the
established parties.
"The West European politicians keep repeating that it is our duty to comply
with what the immigrants want because of their human rights. But what about
the human rights of the Germans or the Hungarians? Why should the British
accept that the wealth which has been created by many generations of their
ancestors, should be consumed by people... who are a security risk and whose
desire it is not to integrate but to destroy European culture?" — Andrej
Babis, candidate for prime minister of the Czech Republic.
A "politically incorrect" billionaire businessman opposed to further EU
integration is on track to become the next prime minister of the Czech
Republic.
Andrej Babis, a Slovak-born former finance minister who has been sharply
critical of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door migration policy, is
leading the polls ahead of general elections, set for October 20.
Babis, one of the country's wealthiest people, presents himself as a
non-ideological results-oriented reformer. He has pledged to run the Czech
Republic like a business after years of what he calls corrupt and inept
management. He is demanding a return of sovereignty from the European Union
and rejects the euro; he argues that it would "be another issue that
Brussels would be meddling with." He has also said he plans to cut
government spending, stop people from "being parasites" in the social
welfare system, and fight for Czech interests abroad. Babis is often
referred to as "the Czech Donald Trump."
Babis's anti-establishment party ANO (which stands for "Action of
Dissatisfied Citizens" and is also the Czech word for "yes") is centrist,
technocratic and pro-business. ANO, which rejects political labels, has
attracted voters from both left and right, pulling support away from the
established parties. Babis has said that ANO aims to replace left and right
with "common sense."
A recent poll shows that support for ANO has grown to 30.9%, while the
support for the Czech Social Democrats has dropped to 13.1%. The pro-Russian
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia has 11.1%; the nationalist Civic
Democratic Party 9.1%. TOP 09, the only openly pro-EU party, will not pass
the 5% barrier of entry into Parliament; it is supported by only 4.4% of
Czech voters.
Babis's approach to the EU is pragmatic: "They give us money, so our
membership is advantageous for us." He does not want the Czech Republic to
leave the EU, but he is opposed to the country joining the eurozone:
"No euro. I don't want the euro. We don't want the euro here. Everybody
knows it's bankrupt. It's about our sovereignty. I want the Czech koruna,
and an independent central bank. I don't want another issue that Brussels
would be meddling with."
Andrej Babis (left), then Finance Minister of the Czech Republic, meets with
Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz (right) on February 13, 2015.
(Image source: Austrian Foreign Ministry)
Babis has expressed opposition to mass migration: "I have stopped believing
in successful integration and multiculturalism." He has called on Merkel "to
give up her political correctness and to begin to act" on securing European
borders:
"In return for billions of euros, she should make sure that Greece and
Turkey completely stop the arrival of refugees in Europe. Otherwise, it will
be her fault what happens to the European population. Unfortunately, Mrs.
Merkel refuses to see how serious the situation is in Germany and in other
EU nations. Her attitude is really tragic."
Babis blamed Merkel for the December 2016 jihadist attack on a Berlin
Christmas market:
"Unfortunately, the migration policy is responsible for this dreadful act.
It was she who let migrants enter Germany and the whole of Europe in
uncontrolled waves, without papers, therefore without knowing who they
really are. Germany is paying a high price for this policy. The solution is
peace in Syria and the return of migrants to their homes. There is no place
for them in Europe."
Babis has rejected pressure from the European Commission, which has launched
infringement procedures against the Czechs, Hungarians and Poles for
refusing to comply with an EU plan to redistribute migrants. In August 2016,
he tweeted:
"I will not accept refugee quotas for the Czech Republic. The situation has
changed. We see how migrants react in Europe. There is a dictator in Turkey.
We must react to the needs and fears of the citizens of our country. We must
guarantee the security of Czech citizens. Even if we are punished by
sanctions."
In June 2017, Babis reiterated that the Czech Republic would not be taking
orders from unelected bureaucrats in Brussels:
"We have to fight for what our ancestors built here. If there will be more
Muslims than Belgians in Brussels, that's their problem. I don't want that
here. They won't be telling us who should live here."
Babis has called on the EU to establish a system to sort economic migrants
from legitimate asylum seekers: "The EU must say: You cannot come to us to
be unemployed and immediately take social benefits."
In an interview with the Czech daily Pravo, Babis said:
"We are not dutybound to accept anyone and we are not even now able to do
so. Our primary responsibility is to make sure that our own citizens are
safe. The Czech Republic has enough of its own problems, people living on
the breadline, single mothers. The West European politicians keep repeating
that it is our duty to comply with what the immigrants want because of their
human rights. But what about the human rights of the Germans or the
Hungarians? Why should the British accept that the wealth which has been
created by many generations of their ancestors, should be consumed by people
without any relationship to that country and its culture? People who are a
security risk and whose desire it is not to integrate but to destroy
European culture?
"The public service media in some countries have been brainwashing people.
They have been avoiding problems with the immigrants. Politicians have also
been lying to their citizens. This has only increased tension between the
indigenous population and the immigrants. It is not acceptable that
Europeans should have fewer rights than immigrants.
"It is unthinkable that the indigenous European population should adapt
themselves to the refugees. We must do away with such nonsensical political
correctness. The refugees should behave like guests, that is they should be
polite, and they certainly do not have the right to choose what they want to
eat. Europe and Germany in particular are undergoing an identity crisis.
There is a deep chasm between what people think and what the media tell
them....
"Many of the Middle Eastern refugees are unusable in industry. Many of them
are also basically illiterate and they only know two German politicians:
Merkel and Hitler."
Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
Follow Soeren Kern on Twitter and Facebook
"I have stopped believing in multiculturalism."
by Soeren Kern
October 8, 2017 at 5:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11122/andrej-babis-czech-trump
Andrej Babis, one of the Czech Republic's wealthiest people, presents
himself as a non-ideological results-oriented reformer. He has pledged to
run the country like a business after years of what he calls corrupt and
inept management. He is demanding a return of sovereignty from the European
Union and rejects the euro.
Babis's anti-establishment party ANO (which stands for "Action of
Dissatisfied Citizens" and is also the Czech word for "yes") is centrist,
technocratic and pro-business. ANO, which rejects political labels, has
attracted voters from both left and right, pulling support away from the
established parties.
"The West European politicians keep repeating that it is our duty to comply
with what the immigrants want because of their human rights. But what about
the human rights of the Germans or the Hungarians? Why should the British
accept that the wealth which has been created by many generations of their
ancestors, should be consumed by people... who are a security risk and whose
desire it is not to integrate but to destroy European culture?" — Andrej
Babis, candidate for prime minister of the Czech Republic.
A "politically incorrect" billionaire businessman opposed to further EU
integration is on track to become the next prime minister of the Czech
Republic.
Andrej Babis, a Slovak-born former finance minister who has been sharply
critical of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door migration policy, is
leading the polls ahead of general elections, set for October 20.
Babis, one of the country's wealthiest people, presents himself as a
non-ideological results-oriented reformer. He has pledged to run the Czech
Republic like a business after years of what he calls corrupt and inept
management. He is demanding a return of sovereignty from the European Union
and rejects the euro; he argues that it would "be another issue that
Brussels would be meddling with." He has also said he plans to cut
government spending, stop people from "being parasites" in the social
welfare system, and fight for Czech interests abroad. Babis is often
referred to as "the Czech Donald Trump."
Babis's anti-establishment party ANO (which stands for "Action of
Dissatisfied Citizens" and is also the Czech word for "yes") is centrist,
technocratic and pro-business. ANO, which rejects political labels, has
attracted voters from both left and right, pulling support away from the
established parties. Babis has said that ANO aims to replace left and right
with "common sense."
A recent poll shows that support for ANO has grown to 30.9%, while the
support for the Czech Social Democrats has dropped to 13.1%. The pro-Russian
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia has 11.1%; the nationalist Civic
Democratic Party 9.1%. TOP 09, the only openly pro-EU party, will not pass
the 5% barrier of entry into Parliament; it is supported by only 4.4% of
Czech voters.
Babis's approach to the EU is pragmatic: "They give us money, so our
membership is advantageous for us." He does not want the Czech Republic to
leave the EU, but he is opposed to the country joining the eurozone:
"No euro. I don't want the euro. We don't want the euro here. Everybody
knows it's bankrupt. It's about our sovereignty. I want the Czech koruna,
and an independent central bank. I don't want another issue that Brussels
would be meddling with."
Andrej Babis (left), then Finance Minister of the Czech Republic, meets with
Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz (right) on February 13, 2015.
(Image source: Austrian Foreign Ministry)
Babis has expressed opposition to mass migration: "I have stopped believing
in successful integration and multiculturalism." He has called on Merkel "to
give up her political correctness and to begin to act" on securing European
borders:
"In return for billions of euros, she should make sure that Greece and
Turkey completely stop the arrival of refugees in Europe. Otherwise, it will
be her fault what happens to the European population. Unfortunately, Mrs.
Merkel refuses to see how serious the situation is in Germany and in other
EU nations. Her attitude is really tragic."
Babis blamed Merkel for the December 2016 jihadist attack on a Berlin
Christmas market:
"Unfortunately, the migration policy is responsible for this dreadful act.
It was she who let migrants enter Germany and the whole of Europe in
uncontrolled waves, without papers, therefore without knowing who they
really are. Germany is paying a high price for this policy. The solution is
peace in Syria and the return of migrants to their homes. There is no place
for them in Europe."
Babis has rejected pressure from the European Commission, which has launched
infringement procedures against the Czechs, Hungarians and Poles for
refusing to comply with an EU plan to redistribute migrants. In August 2016,
he tweeted:
"I will not accept refugee quotas for the Czech Republic. The situation has
changed. We see how migrants react in Europe. There is a dictator in Turkey.
We must react to the needs and fears of the citizens of our country. We must
guarantee the security of Czech citizens. Even if we are punished by
sanctions."
In June 2017, Babis reiterated that the Czech Republic would not be taking
orders from unelected bureaucrats in Brussels:
"We have to fight for what our ancestors built here. If there will be more
Muslims than Belgians in Brussels, that's their problem. I don't want that
here. They won't be telling us who should live here."
Babis has called on the EU to establish a system to sort economic migrants
from legitimate asylum seekers: "The EU must say: You cannot come to us to
be unemployed and immediately take social benefits."
In an interview with the Czech daily Pravo, Babis said:
"We are not dutybound to accept anyone and we are not even now able to do
so. Our primary responsibility is to make sure that our own citizens are
safe. The Czech Republic has enough of its own problems, people living on
the breadline, single mothers. The West European politicians keep repeating
that it is our duty to comply with what the immigrants want because of their
human rights. But what about the human rights of the Germans or the
Hungarians? Why should the British accept that the wealth which has been
created by many generations of their ancestors, should be consumed by people
without any relationship to that country and its culture? People who are a
security risk and whose desire it is not to integrate but to destroy
European culture?
"The public service media in some countries have been brainwashing people.
They have been avoiding problems with the immigrants. Politicians have also
been lying to their citizens. This has only increased tension between the
indigenous population and the immigrants. It is not acceptable that
Europeans should have fewer rights than immigrants.
"It is unthinkable that the indigenous European population should adapt
themselves to the refugees. We must do away with such nonsensical political
correctness. The refugees should behave like guests, that is they should be
polite, and they certainly do not have the right to choose what they want to
eat. Europe and Germany in particular are undergoing an identity crisis.
There is a deep chasm between what people think and what the media tell
them....
"Many of the Middle Eastern refugees are unusable in industry. Many of them
are also basically illiterate and they only know two German politicians:
Merkel and Hitler."
Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
Follow Soeren Kern on Twitter and Facebook
