Czech president condemns removal of Ukrainian flag from parliament
Czech President Petr Pavel (photo: Vitalii Nosach / RBC-Ukraine)
Czech President Petr Pavel commented on the recent incident involving the removal of the Ukrainian flag from the country's parliament building, reports ČTK.
As is known, the new anti-Ukrainian head of the Czech parliament, Tomio Okamura, on November 6 removed the Ukrainian flag from the building, where it had been hanging since 2022 as a sign of solidarity, causing a scandal.
The Czech president stated that Ukrainian flags, as a symbol of solidarity, should continue to be displayed in Czechia, but halting various forms of assistance to Kyiv would be worse.
Pavel reminded that Ukrainian flags in Czechia were displayed "as a symbol of solidarity with a country attacked by an aggressive state."
"I think nothing has changed in that regard. Ukraine is still the target of Russian aggression, and until a peace agreement is reached, our solidarity with it should not weaken," he added.
The Czech president also said that a change in the country's position on assistance to Ukraine — in material, financial, military, or any other form — would cause greater harm.
"This would have a direct impact on deaths, injuries, and material damage. I am convinced that our assistance must continue because it is not only solidarity with Ukraine but also an expression of the values that we, as a democratic country, must uphold," Pavel stated.
The head of the right-wing populist party and the new speaker of the lower house of the Czech parliament, Tomio Okamura, ordered the Ukrainian flag to be removed from the Chamber of Deputies building last week.
Meanwhile, the first deputy chairman of the Czech populist ANO party (which is currently leading coalition negotiations), Karel Havlíček, believes that Ukrainian flags should gradually be removed from state buildings.
