Workers' Party of Social Justice

{{Infobox political party

| country = the Czech Republic

| name = Workers' Party of Social Justice

| native_name = Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti

| abbreviation = DSSS

| logo = Logo of DSSS.svg

| leader =

| founder = Jan Broj

| founded = {{start date and age|2004|01|29}}

| dissolved = {{end date and age|2024|10|19}}

| colorcode = {{party color|Workers' Party of Social Justice}}

| predecessor = Workers' Party (since 2010)

| youth_wing = Workers' Youth

| wing1_title = Paramilitary wing

| wing1 = Civic Guards{{cite web |title=DSSS obnovila činnost svých stranických hlídek |url=https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/domaci/1336935-dsss-obnovila-cinnost-svych-stranickych-hlidek |website=ct24.ceskatelevize.cz |access-date=3 June 2020}}

| newspaper = Workers' List

| colours = {{color box|#FFFFFF|border=darkgray}} White
{{color box|#FF0000|border=darkgray}} Red
{{color box|#2954A1|border=darkgray}} Blue

| headquarters = Ciolkovského 853/1
161 00 Prague

| ideology = {{ubl|class=nowrap|

|Czech nationalism{{cite web |last1=Mareš |first1=Miroslav |title=Right-Wing Extremism in the Czech Republic |url=https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/id-moe/09347.pdf |website=Friedrich Ebert Foundation |access-date=8 October 2023 |date=2012}}{{cite book |last1=Lochmannová |first1=Alena |last2=Kolář |first2=Ondřej |title=Extremism Behind Bars |date=2021 |publisher=University of West Bohemia|location=Plzeň|isbn=9788026110248 |page=83}}

|Neo-Nazism{{cite news |last1=Cameron |first1=Rob |title=Photo of Czech girl Scout standing up to skinhead goes viral |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39804471 |access-date=8 October 2023 |work=BBC News |date=4 May 2017}}{{cite book |last1=Bardovic |first1=Jaroslav |last2=Mihalik |first2=Jakub |title=Migration: The Challenge of European States |date=2019 |publisher=ibidem |location=Stuttgart |isbn=9783838213446 |page=138}}{{cite book |last1=Rosenfeld |first1=Alvin H. |title=Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism: The Dynamics of Delegitimization |date=2019 |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington, Indiana |isbn=9780253038722 |page=425}}

|Social conservatism

|Welfare chauvinism

|Antiziganism}}

| position = Far-right{{cite book |last1=Lansford |first1=Tom |title=Political Handbook of the World 2015 |date=2015 |publisher=CQ Press |location=New York City |isbn=9781483371559 |quote=Originally formed as the Worker's Party, a far-right grouping led by Tomáš VANDAS}}{{cite book |last1=Deland |first1=Mats |last2=Minkenberg |first2=Michael |last3=Mays |first3=Christin |title=In the Tracks of Breivik: Far Right Networks in Northern and Eastern Europe |date=2014 |publisher=LIT Verlag |location=Münster |isbn=9783643905420 |page=79}}

| website = {{URL|www.DSSS.cz}}

}}

The Workers' Party of Social Justice ({{langx|cs|Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti}}) was a Czech militant far-right political party, which existed from 2004 to 2024. In 2010, the party, under its original name of the Workers' Party, was banned by the Czech Supreme Administrative Court, becoming the first party since the re-establishment of democracy in the Czech Republic to be banned on ideological grounds. The party subsequently changed its name to the Workers' Party of Social Justice.

The party's program contained strict social conservative and anti-internationalist policies, and called for the overthrow of liberal democracy in the Czech Republic. The party was never represented in any legislative body in the country, and its highest vote-share was 1.14% in the Czech legislative election in 2010.

History

The party was formed in 2004 and received less than 1% of the vote in its first election, but shortly afterwards attracted significant media attention for organizing riots in quarters of Litvínov with a significant Roma population.{{cite news|url=http://aktualne.centrum.cz/domaci/zivot-v-cesku/clanek.phtml?id=622325 |title=Litvinov has seen a rough fight with the extremists, 15 injured |lang=cs}}{{cite news|url=http://www.newssafety.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10678%3Aczech-republic-journalist-injured-while-covering-rally&catid=68%3Aeurope-central-asia-media-safety&Itemid=100522 |title=Journalist injured while covering rally}}{{deadlink|date=January 2025}} The party gained subsequent publicity by organizing a march against LGBT people in Tábor.{{cite news|url=http://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/domaci/rasismus-v-cesku/sobota-v-tabore-gayove-i-extremisti_125437.html |title=Saturday in Tabor: both gays and extremists |lang=cs}}{{deadlink|date=January 2025}}

In spring 2009 a petition by the Czech Government to ban the Workers' Party was dismissed by the Czech Supreme Administrative Court,[http://www.nssoud.cz/main.aspx?cls=anonymZneni&id=19052&mark=]. Supreme administrative court judgment, 4.3.2009 (only in Czech) with the presiding judge ruling that the applicant had not provided sufficient evidence, in what was seen as a botched application.{{cite news|url=http://www.radio.cz/en/article/113865 |title=Top court rejects government's petition to ban extremist Workers' Party}}{{cite news|url=http://zpravy.idnes.cz/delnicka-strana-slavi-soud-zamitl-navrh-vlady-na-jeji-zruseni-puo-/domaci.asp?c=A090304_075308_domaci_cen |title=Dělnická strana slaví, soud zamítl návrh vlády na její zrušení |trans-title= The Workers' Party is celebrating, the court rejected the government's proposal to abolish it |date=4 March 2009|website=iDnes.cz|lang=cs}} Following violent attacks against Czech minorities by far-right extremists, such as the Vítkov arson attack of 2009,{{cite news|url=http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/czech-police-may-arrest-extremist-leaders-over-vitkov-arson-pape/393172&id_seznam=2510 |title=Czech Police arrested extremist leaders over Vítkov arson}} the government filed a more detailed petition for the ban. After discussion by the Czech Supreme Court in January and February 2010, the party was banned, marking the first instance of a party being banned for its ideology in the modern history of the Czech Republic.{{cite web|url=http://aktualne.centrum.cz/domaci/soudy-a-pravo/clanek.phtml?id=660985|title=Soud zrušil Dělnickou stranu. Chtěla rozvrátit stát |website=Aktuálně.cz|date=17 February 2010}} The party was transformed into a "Party of Citizens of the Czech Republic",{{cite web|url=https://www.lidovky.cz/zakazana-delnicka-strana-pujde-do-voleb-jen-pod-jinou-hlavickou-pvr-/zpravy-domov.aspx?c=A100220_101839_ln_domov_mk|title=Zakázaná Dělnická strana půjde do voleb, jen pod jinou hlavičkou - Domov|date=20 February 2010|website=Lidovky.cz}} and the renamed as the Workers' Party of Social Justice, retaining its program with small adjustments.

Program

The party's program called for the overthrow and subversion of the Czech political system, which the party described both as "liberal"{{cite web|url=http://www.delnickelisty.cz/z-domova/xudelejme-si-poradek-ve-sve-vlastni-zemi_x |title=Let's clean up our own country |work=Workers news (Official party newspaper)|lang=cs}} and "totalitarian".{{cite web|url=http://www.delnickelisty.cz/vandas_-polistopadovy-rezim-se-zdiskreditoval |title=Vandas: The post-November regime has discredited itself |work=Workers news (Official party newspaper) |lang=cs}} Its official slogan for the 2009 European elections was: "Resist the totalitarian regime". Some high-ranking party officials, including a Prague party leader, were associated with neo-Nazi groups such as Národní odpor, the Czech subsidiary of an international militant neo-Nazi group.{{cite news|url=http://aktualne.centrum.cz/domaci/spolecnost/fotogalerie/2009/05/25/symboly-a-moda-stoupencu-delnicke-strany/foto/251787/ |title=Workers' Party election candidates and Nazi symbols |lang=cs}}{{cite news|url=http://www.novinky.cz/domaci/159216-delnickou-stranu-ovladli-neonaciste.html |title=The Workers' Party has been taken over by neo-Nazis |lang=cs}}

The party's program included reducing national debt while increasing old age pensions and reducing the retirement age.[http://www.delnicka-strana.cz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=74&Itemid=103]. Party program, article III Concrete proposals included restrictions on foreign investment, including a total ban on purchases of real estate by foreign nationals, and nationalization of certain companies.[http://www.delnicka-strana.cz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=74&Itemid=103]. Party program, article II

The party also wanted to restore the death penalty, criminalize "sexual deviation", including homosexuality, abolish registered partnership, reduce the rights of criminal defendants, and in some cases create new crimes with a retroactive effect. Some of the most controversial proposals included marking of ethnicity in ID cards,[http://www.delnicka-strana.cz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=74&Itemid=103]. Party program, article I and giving the police discretion to treat arrestees inhumanely.

In international affairs, the party opposed NATO and the European Union, and demanded that the Czech Republic leave those organizations. The party was strongly anti-American and pro-Russian,[http://www.delnickelisty.cz/ze-by-nikdo-nechtel-zmenu_]. Workers news: "Nobody really wants a change?" (Official party newspaper, only in Czech) stating that the Czech Republic must "immediately and strongly restore its relations with Russia".[http://www.delnickelisty.cz/vyznani-vlastence-a-dobreho-syna-sve-vlasti]. Workers news: "Confession of a patriot and a good son of the Homeland" (Official party newspaper, only in Czech) The chairman of the party arbitration commission congratulated Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran after his victory in the 2009 presidential election.[http://www.delnickelisty.cz/koho-chcete-poucovat_]. Workers news: "Who do you want to lecture?" (Official party newspaper, only in Czech)

Election results

=Czech legislative election=

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

! Year

! # of total votes

! Vote %

! Seats

2010

| 59,888

| 1.14 (10){{increase}}

| 0

2013

| 42,906

| 0.86 (12){{decrease}}

| 0

2017

| 10,402

| 0.20 (16) {{decrease}}

| 0

=European Parliament=

class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;" ! Election ! List leader ! Votes ! % ! Seats ! +/− ! EP Group
2014{{efn\|Run in a joint list with SPE.}} \| rowspan=2 \|Tomáš Vandas \| 7,902 \| 0.52 (#15) \| {{Composition bar\|0\|22\|{{party color\|Workers' Party of Social Justice}}}} \| New \| rowspan=3 \|−
2019{{efn\|Run in a joint list with NF.}} \| 4,363 \| 0.18 (#23) \| {{Composition bar\|0\|22\|{{party color\|Workers' Party of Social Justice}}}} \| {{steady}} 0
2024{{efn\|Run as part of the Alliance for the Independence of the Czech Republic.}} \| Hynek Blaško \| 14,910 \| 0.50 (#12) \| {{Composition bar\|0\|22\|{{party color\|Workers' Party of Social Justice}}}} \| {{steady}} 0

class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;"

! Election

! List leader

! Votes

! %

! Seats

! +/−

! EP Group

2014{{efn|Run in a joint list with SPE.}}

| rowspan=2 |Tomáš Vandas

| 7,902

| 0.52 (#15)