Prague - Weekly magazine Reflex may face a suit soon. In its latest issue Governor of Central Bohemian region David Rath (Social Democrats) is portrayed as a man with a small black mustache, bearing a similarity to Adolf Hitler.
David Rath now mulls filing a criminal charge against Reflex.
"This is beyond good manners. I will consult my lawyers how to bring this media company accountable," David Rath told Aktuálně.cz, wanting the popular weekly magazine to apologize.
Reflex deputy editor-in-chief Dan Hrubý said that the piece is based on a satire.
"This genre uses extreme or marginal means," said Hrubý, adding that these means serve a purpose to ridicule the senior MP for behaving the way he does. Hrubý also thinks that Rath as Hitler captures a dangerous phenomenon.
"It is Rath's populism. His change in his stand towards the medical fees in the course of time and last but not least his statement about the employee policy of the Third Reich. Further, the magazine frontpage also refers to the content, in which deputy chairman of Social Democrats Zdeněk Škromach says "Rath is our little Haider," said Hrubý.
Praising Hitler's policies
David Rath earned much criticism for his praise of Adolf Hitler's policy to jump start Germany's ill economy.
Rath told Livové noviny that "'Hitler solved the crisis by starting armament, by which he gave people jobs and fired up the economy. He won the election with that. Later that resulted in a way. But liberal economists tend to forget that."
In the defence of his statement, Rath said he was misintepreted.
"I have never admired Hitler unlike PM Mirek Topolánek or his aide Marek "Borman" Dalík," said Rath, referring to a several year old incident. Topolánek sent an sms to a Czech journalist saying Es kommt der Tag, which was used by Nazis as a call for the Sudetenlands to join Germany.
