News: Sunday, May 5th, 2024

Police investigating video of woman waving Nazi flag from truck in convoy at Plzeň Freedom Celebrations

Police are investigating the case of a woman who waved a Nazi flag from an American WWII truck during the third day of the Plzeň Freedom Celebrations on Sunday, news site iROZHLAS.cz reports. Footage published on social media shows the driver of the truck handing the flag to the woman sitting in the passenger seat, who then proceeds to briefly wave it back and forth out of the truck in the direction of the crowds, along with the American flag that she is also holding.

The incident occurred during the Convoy of Liberty, when over 300 historic US military vehicles pass through Plzeň as part of the Freedom Celebrations marking the liberation of the city from Nazi occupation by US and Belgian troops at the end of World War II. Twenty of the jeeps were carrying descendants of some of the American and Belgian veterans who helped liberate the city. The festivities, which draw tens of thousands of people every year, will culminate on Monday, May 6.

Ceremony outside Czech Radio building commemorates Prague Uprising of May 1945

Politicians, veterans and members of the public gathered outside Czech Radio’s Prague headquarters on Sunday to mark the 79th anniversary of the Prague Uprising against Nazi rule, which began on 5 May 1945, near the end of WWII, and to pay their respects to those who died in the fighting. The radio building was the focal point of the uprising and the site of one of the biggest battles with Nazi forces. Over 100 people died in its immediate vicinity and hundreds of others were killed in the fighting around Prague.

The heads of both houses of parliament, Miloš Vystrčil and Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Prague mayor Bohuslav Svoboda, and the Slovak ambassador to Czechia, Ingrid Brocková, were among the speakers at Sunday's ceremony, which was also attended by the head of Czech Radio René Zavoral. The speakers commended the bravery of the Prague denizens who came to defend the radio building during the uprising and overthrow the Nazi occupiers, and emphasised the importance of continuing to fight for freedom nowadays.

The speaker of the lower house, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, said that by taking the initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine, Czechs were once again demonstrating to the entire free world that they can lead and inspire others by positive example, just as they had during the Prague Uprising 79 years ago.

Transport Minister Martin Kupka said in his speech that May 5 was a reminder of the importance of standing up to evil, and that the greatest threat to freedom and democracy was relativisation and a lack of clarity about what is right and what is wrong.

Jourová: Voice of Europe to be included in EU's 14th Russian sanctions package

The Prague-based pro-Russian media site Voice of Europe will be included in the EU's 14th sanctions package against Russia over its war on Ukraine, Vice-President of the European Commission Věra Jourová said on Czech Television on Sunday. The Czech government added the organisation to its national sanctions list at the end of March after the Czech counterintelligence agency, BIS, discovered that it was attempting to influence the European Parliament elections by bribing far-right politicians in countries such as Germany, Belgium and France. Ms. Jourová said that the EU regards Voice of Europe not as a real media platform but rather an instrument for Kremlin propaganda.

Czechia is also trying to get the two individuals associated with the site, Artem Marchevsky and Viktor Medvedchuk, on the EU sanctions list, but the commissioner said she doesn't know yet if that will happen.

Deputy mayor to propose removal of sculpture in Anděl metro commemorating Czech-Soviet friendship

Deputy Mayor of Prague Zdeněk Hřib plans to propose to the city council on Monday that the bronze wall sculpture with the inscription "Moscow-Prague", located in the Czech capital's Anděl metro station, be removed or modified. The deputy mayor wrote on social media site X on Sunday that it was "high time" for something to be done about the controversial sculpture, given the Soviet Union's occupation of Czechoslovakia at the time that the station was commissioned and Russia's similar behaviour now towards Ukraine.

The sculpture pays tribute to the Soviet engineers who helped with the construction of the Prague metro and who played a significant role in the design of the station, which was formerly called "Moskevská" when it opened in 1985. It got its current name, Anděl, not long after the fall of the communist regime, in February 1990, but the sculpture remained even though the station has been reconstructed several times since.

Government recalls Czech ambassador to Russia

The Czech government has recalled its ambassador in Moscow, Vítězslav Pivoňka, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said on Sunday on the television channel TV Nova. The ambassador will leave his post in Russia at the end of May. Mr. Lipavský said the Foreign Ministry was working hard to try to find a replacement.

Ethiopian runner Hayle wins Prague Marathon

Ethiopian long-distance runner Lemi Berhanu Hayle won the Prague Marathon on Sunday in 2 hours 8 minutes and 44 seconds, while his compatriot Bedatu Hirpa Badane was the first woman to cross the finish line in 2:23:41. Hayle, who won the Boston marathon in 2016 and successfully defended his victory at the Mumbai marathon in January, pulled ahead of Kenyan Kipkemoi Kiprono after the 25-kilometre mark to take the gold.

The fastest Czech man in the race was surprise winner Martin Edlman in 2:22:19 and the fastest Czech woman was Petra Pastorová in 2:47:04.

Weather forecast

Monday should continue to be overcast and cloudy with a high chance of rain, particularly in the afternoon and evening. Daytime temperatures are expected to range between 14 and 21 degrees Celsius.