Sudeten German issue continues to cause controversy as Landmanschaft opens office in Prague

Bernd Posselt, photo: CTK

Just a few days ago the new Czech president Vaclav Klaus tried to appease Germans and Austrians in the European parliament by condemning the atrocities of World War Two including the subsequent expulsion of ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia. This after years of disputes between Sudeten German associations and Czech representatives over the validity of the so-called Benes decrees which sanctioned the expulsions, and possible compensation for confiscated property. Although European politicians are satisfied and say Mr Klaus brought the dispute to an end, the Sudeten German's case continues to brew controversy here in the Czech Republic.

The largest organisation representing Sudeten Germans in Germany, the Landsmanschaft, has opened its office in Prague on Tuesday. The move, announced exactly two years ago by Landsmanschaft chairman Bernd Posselt, is seen by many as not very fortunate and some say it may actually damage Czech-German relations.

Many Czechs still remember the events that preceded the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia when Germans expelled original Czech population from the border regions in 1938 and they view the post-war expulsion of the Germans as perfectly justified. Many people are afraid that the Sudeten Germans want their confiscated property back or receive some kind of compensation. The opening of the office in Prague may therefore be viewed as a step forward in pushing their demands.

Observers consider the timing - just 3 months before Czechs are to vote on EU accession in a referendum - as quite unfortunate, too, as it can play into the hands of opponents of Czech EU membership, such as the Communists and far-right nationalists, both of whom have always presented the German element as a danger for Czech interests.

Bernd Posselt,  photo: CTK
Mr. Posselt said the Landsmaschaft's main goal was to broaden contacts and to find out what ordinary Czechs, the media and political representatives think of the issue. The Landsmanschaft interprets the pre- and post-war events somewhat differently than official Czech history, and Mr. Posselt, by the way a member of the European Parliament, is one of the fiercest critics of the Benes Decrees.

When Mr. Posselt announced the Landsmanschaft was going to open an office in Prague two years ago, it met with mixed reactions in the Czech Republic - some were outright negative, some said there was no need for it. Today, disagreement with the move seems to be wider, going across the political spectrum.

But some people, including e.g. the chairman of the Union of Freedom Fighters Jakub Cermin and former Prague's mayor Jan Kasl, are saying we cannot change the past, and that we will soon be living in the same European Union and argue that if the Sudetens are coming with a good will, there is no reason why they should not have their office in the Czech capital.