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An incident with troubling hints of the past


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May 21st, 2008 issue

Anyone who has taken an airplane flight lately, particularly in the United States, knows how onerous security restrictions have become. The interminable waits in metal detector lines, indignities of removing clothing and being individually searched, and having simple items like a half-used tube of toothpaste confiscated seem extreme, to say the least. Many expats making trips to the homeland have also been dismayed to return to Prague and discover that their baggage has been searched.

There’s no choice but to accept these affronts if you want to fly. And most passengers are willing to sacrifice their time and privacy to ensure security and safety. But that climate breeds the kind of abuses chronicled in the story this week of University of New York in Prague professor Mark Tomass.
In his case, the simple appearance of the name Al Jazeera — an Arabic TV station — on his laptop was enough to attract the attention of a fellow passenger and ultimately three policemen, who forced his bus to make an unscheduled stop and subjected him to a 20-minute background check and interrogation. By any measure, it was an astonishing intersection of ignorance and overzealousness.
In other circumstances, our primary concerns would be about the erosion of basic liberties in a democratic society. But there’s a disturbing subtext to this particular incident, which can be summed up in a simple phrase: Tomass is a foreigner. Though there’s nothing about his appearance to arouse suspicion, and he speaks Czech, he’s clearly not a native.
Would a lighter-skinned Czech have been subjected to the same treatment? While there’s no way to say for sure, the rude and suspicious treatment that most foreigners receive in this country every day suggests the answer is no.
This is not to denigrate individual Czechs, many of whom are gracious and open-minded friends and colleagues. Nor is it necessarily to single out the Czech Republic; certainly many people of Middle Eastern descent have been subjected to similar harassment in the United States.
But, if we are to avoid starting down the slippery slope of a police state, a sense of proportionality and reasonableness is critical. The fact is, there has not been a single terrorist incident in this country, nor is there any reason to believe that a working professional riding on a bus poses some kind of security threat. Unless, of course, other prejudices are at work. Either way, it’s absurd and wrong.
What makes Tomass’ experience particularly chilling is the recent history of this country. When Czechs talk about living under communism, one common thread that runs through all their stories is the pervasive fear of being spied on, and the regime’s evil ability to turn neighbors, friends and even family members into informants. It created a poisonous atmosphere that haunts the country to this day, with reputations tarnished and careers ruined by the never-ending revelations of who signed informant agreements, often under coercive conditions.
There’s a similarly poisonous air about this story, with an innocent person fingered by an overeager citizen-turned-informant. The police may dismiss their actions as a standard response to a phone tip. We don’t buy that. But, if it’s really true, we encourage them to talk to their elders, and take a lesson from their own history.


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[19:33 22/05/2008] : Unfortunately, similar things happen here in the United States all the time, and for similar reasons.
Here -- average citizens who have never been outside of the United States remain fearful of the unknown, and have little or no memory of the Constitution and Bill of Rights they read in school -- and promptly relegated to the back corners of their brains -- along with Latin and the history of western civilization.
In the Czech Republic -- I think -- the problem is younger Czechs don't even remember communism and its effects.
A whole generation has now grown up since the Velvet Revolution -- and a slightly older group was just too young to be much affected by the "Big Brotherism" and worse.
Plus --it seems to me as a frequent visitor --not just Czechs, but most nationalities in Europe, are very nationalistic and xenophobic -- still.
If we in the United States still have problems with many immigrant groups -- with our unique history of mixed populations -- I guess it will take many more generations in Europe to stop fearing anything -- or anyONE unfamiliar.
Stephani Shelton
Kinnelon, New Jersey
[07:36 23/05/2008] : Professor Tomass is guilty of an error in judgment, i.e., displaying on his laptop the appearance of Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera is an Arab propaganda station directly opposed to the policies of the United States, and Professor Tomass should have known better.
Also, the Czech Republic (I am the son of Czech immigrants to the United States) does not have the same feelings toward terrorism as the United States does.
The Czech Republic did not experience a 9/11 and so in general (obviously there are exceptions) its citizens undoubtedly do not have the same attitude toward terrorism that the United States has.
In fact, the United States had to take action in the former Yugoslavia because the Europeans failed to act, even though it was in their "back yard".
Also, please note that we were on the side of the Muslims in Kosovo, and that here in America, all ethnic groups, with some imperfection (who is perfect?), live side by side.
Why is it left for the United States (with help principally from Great Britain) to solve the problems of the world? Everyone criticizes us, yet we have to prevent people from crossing our borders, in, not out.
It was the great Winston Churchill who once said that Democracy is the worst form of government except when other forms of government are considered (I paraphrase). My wife and I have been in the Czech Republic many times both during and after the 40 years of communist control (we had the good fortune of being there in 1968 during the era of Dubcek's "Prague Spring".)
On one of our frequent trips (although we were born in America, we are both fluent in colloquial Czech and have family there) we were once interrogated by the Czech authorities when leaving the country when we were "caught" carrying school papers for an escapee from the then repressive government. We were held for hours, and I am a professional person with a high level of education equivalent probably to more than that of Professor Tomass.
Also, considering my age, I undoubtedly have more professional experience than he. We were held for many hours -- not for the inconvenience of 20 minutes. The emotional trauma resulting from that interrogation lies with us to this day. What did we do wrong other than to help a fellow human being? Hopefully this will not happen again with the Czech Republic's current democratic government, a government formed indirectly through the workings, and I oversimplify for the sake of space, of our President Reagan, who in effect bankrupted the Russians and thereby allowed Gorbachev to change the course of history.
In summary, we in the United States are very sensitive with regard to terrorism because we have experienced first hand the workings of an evil conspiracy. And these minor inconveniences are the consequences of such sensitivity, as they rightly should be.
Joseph Anton Skala
Eatons Neck, NY, USA
[15:41 23/05/2008] : Isn't it interesting how Czech emigrants in the United States are so naive about their adopted homeland?

Regardless of the fact that Al Jazeera is not even remotely anti-American...why is it that a professor in the Czech Republic should be doing anything wrong looking at it? U.S. propaganda is everywhere and is legal.

What is so incredible is that this person condemns a very similar experience which he suffered himself under the previous regime.

I can only assume that people in the United States are so brainwashed that they cannot recognize a brick wall in front of their faces.
John Alexander
Berlin
[13:29 27/05/2008] : So we've come to the point that in the mind of some (many?) Americans, looking at something perceived as "against American policies", warrants and justifies on the spot rigorous investigations of any kind, anywhere in the world and the hell with one's dignity...

It's downright chilly, and frankly, frightening. But most of all, it's sad how the tragedy of 9/11 and the terrorists behind it have nevertheless succeeded in twisting the mentality of some (how many?) citizens of the greatest democracy in the world toward their own fanatical image...

And please, spare us the insipid "we try to solve the problems of the world" line.
No big power ever did or ever will, except if and only when it promotes its own narrow self interests.
Otherwise, it looks oh so conveniently the other way.

Costas Paximadis
Greece
Costas Paximadas
Thessaloniki
[19:56 28/05/2008] : BACK OFF, oh righteous ones. Mark Tomass obviously thinks of himself as more important than the safety of the public.
It was a simple unfortunate event with the police doing exactly what they should. It was 20 minutes for crying out loud!
It takes more time than that to receive a speeding ticket.
He is the only one causing a problem at this point.
"Get over it!" Thank you police officers for keeping us safe !
David Alan
Jacksonville, Florida
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