Filip Turek (racing driver)

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Filip Turek
Official portrait, 2024
Member of the European Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 July 2024
ConstituencyCzech Republic
Personal details
Born (1985-10-15) 15 October 1985 (age 39)
Prague, Czechoslovakia
CitizenshipCzech
Political partyPřísaha and Motorists
Websitewww.filipturek.cz

Filip Turek (born 15 October 1985) is a Czech politician, entrepreneur, influencer, and former racing driver. He was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in the 2024 European parliament election, as the lead candidate for the Přísaha and Motorists alliance.

Early life and education

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Turek was born on 15 October 1985 in Prague. He studied applied graphics at the Secondary Private Art School of Design. After graduation, Turek studied commercial and European law, before taking international and diplomatic studies at the University College Prague.[1]

Early career

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From 2015 to 2017, Turek was a competitive racing driver, participating in 27 races.[2] The nature of Turek's racing successes has been the subject of debate. Data journalists Kateřina Mahdalová and Michal Škop reported that Turek's wins were in categories where he either raced alone or with one or two opponents, including one amateur and one child, often racing in weaker cars, and Turek usually finished one of the last or last places in the race.[2]

In 2015, Turek self-published Paraziti v nás (lit. 'Parasites inside Us'),[3] written by his mother Eleni Turková, a book about alternative healing methods.[3] During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of his companies, Zapper-Club s.r.o., of which he was one of two executives until February 2022 and the sole partner until August 2023,[4] marketed uncertified "anti-virus" home remedies to seniors and others. The State Agricultural and Food Inspectorate issued a warning against the company.[5] However, Turek himself denies any role in these activities.[6][better source needed]

Involvement in politics

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From 2022, Turek began commenting on politics, appearing on the program Po žních k Turkovi on the Internet television channel VOX TV, as well as the program Přisně tajné on Xaver Live. His positions included support for a minimal state, questioning of liberal values, and opposition to the euro, the European Green Deal, and the proposed ban on the production of cars with internal combustion engines.[7]

In the 2024 European Parliament election he ran as a non-affiliated candidate for Přísaha, as the lead candidate for the Přísaha and Motorists alliance.[8] He was elected as an MEP with 152,196 preferential votes, the second-highest vote total of any candidate.[9]

Turek was reported to have met with representatives of the Iranian government, for undisclosed reasons.[10]

On 30 May 2025, Turek announced that he would lead Motorists for Themselves in the Central Bohemian Region in the 2025 Czech parliamentary election.[11]

Nazi paraphernalia

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During the European election campaign in 2024, several old photos of Turek were circulated online, including one where he wore a golden helmet with a symbol used by the former Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, one where he appeared to give a Nazi salute from a car, and one featuring a candlestick with a swastika. In a discussion on CNN Prima News, Turek stated that he was a collector, and also had a knife used by SS soldiers, but denied that he was a Nazi sympathizer. Czech police opened an investigation into his gestures,[12] which was concluded in November 2024.[13]

Journalists have also uncovered further old photos of Turek, in which he was wearing a white racing helmet with a symbol used by the aerial-warfare branch of the Wehrmacht Luftwaffe and a fighter wing of the Luftwaffe during World War II Jagdgeschwader 27.[14][2] Screenshots of his Facebook comments between 2013 and 2018 have been published, in which he refers to Adolf Hitler as a "golden daddy", and writes that he always fills up with 88 litres of fuel.[15]

Personal life

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Turek is a collector of classic cars, especially the British brands Jaguar, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce and Bentley. Since 2006, he has been the chairman of the Jaguar fan club, which he founded. In 2023, the club had 3 members.[16] He is also a shooting enthusiast; his collection of weapons includes a Desert Eagle 50AE after Ivan Jonák [cs], with whom he became friends after his release.[17]

References

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  1. ^ Křížová, Iveta; Povolná, Tereza (27 January 2025). "Turek bakalářský titul má. Ze školy, které ministerstvo zatrhlo příjem studentů". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Mahdalová, Kateřina; Škop, Michal (13 May 2025). "Jak europoslanec Turek doopravdy závodil ve formuli". Mahdalová & Škop (in Czech). Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Paraziti v nás". Knihovny.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  4. ^ "Úplný výpis z obchodního rejstříku Zapper-Club s.r.o., C 263258 vedená u Městského soudu v Praze" (in Czech). Ministry of Justice. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  5. ^ "SZPI upozorňuje na další případy zneužívání virové epidemie při prodeji doplňků stravy" (in Czech). Státní zemědělská a potravinářská inspekce. 27 March 2020.
  6. ^ Juran, Kirill (10 February 2024). "Ekonomické struktury s Filipem Turkem. Ta firma není moje a čísla taky nesedí... :)". YouTube (in Czech).
  7. ^ Gričová, Andrea (17 May 2024). "Zákaz výroby aut se spalovacími motory je zvěrstvo, míní Turek za Přísahu a Motoristé sobě". ČT24 (in Czech). Czech Television.
  8. ^ "Jmenné seznamy" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  9. ^ Menšík, Jan (9 June 2024). "Turek je hvězdou eurovoleb". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Borgis. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  10. ^ Slonková, Sabina (10 February 2025). "Konečná, Turek, Klaus. Kdo se schází se zástupci íránského režimu". Neovlivni.cz (in Czech). Dead Line Media s.r.o. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  11. ^ Grim, Jakub (30 May 2025). "Filip Turek bude kandidovat ve sněmovních volbách. Povede Motoristy ve Středočeském kraji". Czech Radio (in Czech). Czech News Agency. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  12. ^ Menšík, Jan; Machová, Martina (6 June 2024). "Turkovu fascinaci nacismem zkoumá policie, strana ho stáhla z předvolebních debat". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Borgis. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  13. ^ Mubeenová, Alžběta (8 November 2024). "Policie odložila případ údajného hajlování europoslance Turka" [Police postpone case of alleged MEP Turek nazi saluting]. ČT24 (in Czech). Czech Television. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  14. ^ Novák, Jan (15 May 2025). "Turek jezdil s helmou s nacistickými symboly. "Nechápeme," říkají historici". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  15. ^ Veselý, Marek (6 June 2024). "Turek znovu pod ostrou palbou kritiky. Zlatej tatíček Hitler a kulaté číslo 88, psal před lety". CNN Prima News (in Czech). FTV Prima. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  16. ^ Mahdalová, Kateřina; Škop, Michal (14 May 2025). "Europoslanec Turek: Prezident dvou spolků, jeden má 3 členy, druhý nefunguje". Mahdalová & Škop (in Czech). Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  17. ^ Kvasnička, Jakub (28 February 2016). "Jonákův dobrý přítel: Ivana odposlouchávali. A mocní si oddechli". Týden (in Czech). Empresa Media.