Final Word from Thursday, May 21, 2026

Under the Czech-German Declaration of Jan. 1997, the Czech side expresses regret for the suffering and injustice that was inflicted upon innocent people through the forcible expulsion and forced resettlement of Sudeten Germans from Czechoslovakia and by the expropriation of property and deprivation of citizenship. The Czech side also regrets that the guilt was attributed collectively. Ex-Speaker of the House Milan Uhde, one of those who had the idea of inviting the Sudeten German Landsmannschaft to Brno this week, wants more. In answer to a question from Czech Radio yesterday about whether Czechs shouldn't apologize for something, he said that the atmosphere in Brno is indeed developing in this direction. Uhde and others who are pushing Czechs to accept collective guilt for actions of the past should keep in mind that the rise of AfD in Germany is partly due to its objection to the "culture of remembrance" around the Nazi past. And that in late April, AfD rose to a record 28% in one of the political polls. [ Czech Repupblic association expropriate Meeting Brno ]