Czech court rules SPD campaign posters did not constitute incitement to hatred

The Prague Municipal Court has issued a final ruling regarding the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement, determining that the party did not commit the crime of incitement to hatred through its 2024 election campaign posters.

The controversial posters, which targeted the European Union's migration pact and the use of social benefits within the Roma community, were described by the court as provocative and on the edge of good taste, but typical for political agitation. The court noted that it is not the role of a criminal court to decide which political opinions are correct, but rather to assess whether legal boundaries were crossed.

In a separate but related legal context, the District Court for Prague 7 also ruled that the Ministry of the Interior violated the rights of the SPD by including the movement in a report on extremism and xenophobic-populist entities for the first half of 2023. While the court found the Ministry's classification to be a violation of rights, it did not grant the party an apology.