On November 7, the flag of the Czech Republic was raised in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. This was announced by the parliament’s speaker, Ruslan Stefanchuk, who emphasized that this gesture was an expression of gratitude to the Czech people for their constant support and assistance to Ukraine amid the aggression of the Russian Federation.
This is reported by Kyiv24
A Gesture of Solidarity Between Ukraine and the Czech Republic
The raising of the Czech flag took place the day after the new speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament, Tomio Okamura, ordered the removal of the Ukrainian flag from the parliament building. The Ukrainian flag had been displayed there since February 2022 as a sign of support for the Ukrainian people in their struggle against Russian aggression.
In his address, Ruslan Stefanchuk highlighted that the Czech flag near the Verkhovna Rada symbolizes gratitude for the hospitality of the Czech people, who provided shelter and protection to Ukrainians, as well as for significant humanitarian and political support.
“Like millions of Ukrainians, I will never forget the hospitality offered by the Czechs to our people. Ukrainian flags across the Czech Republic. The courageous visit in April 2022 to frontline Kyiv by the speaker of the Czech Senate, Miloš Vystrčil. The determination of the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, and the Crimean Platform in Prague. The Czech initiative. Each and every one of you who stands with us today, dear Czechs. And I want us to always remember the criminal role of Moscow in the division of Czechoslovakia in 1938 and the bloodshed of the Prague Spring in 1968. Because, as the first president of the modern Czech Republic, Václav Havel, said: ‘Russia still does not know where its borders are.’
Reactions in the Czech Republic and the Position of the Ukrainian Community
Tomio Okamura’s decision, as the head of the right-wing populist party ‘Freedom and Direct Democracy’ (SPD), caused a stir in Czech society and political circles. Even before the elections, he had repeatedly spoken out against the display of Ukrainian flags on state and public buildings, emphasizing that if the SPD came to power, these flags would be removed.
In response to this move, deputies from the ‘Civic Democratic Party’ (ODS), who were previously part of the ruling coalition, demonstratively hung the Ukrainian flag from the window of the parliamentary club in the Chamber of Deputies building. Similar actions were supported by representatives of the STAN and ‘Pirates’ parties.
Former speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová also expressed her position, emphasizing that the Ukrainian flag on the facade of the parliament was a symbol of humanity and solidarity with a nation suffering from a brutal and unjust war.
The Ukrainian ambassador to the Czech Republic, Vasyl Zvarych, thanked the Czechs for their support and emphasized the importance of the Ukrainian flag as a symbol of freedom, dignity, and resilience of the people. He stressed that Russia is trying to destroy this symbol because it fears its significance for Ukrainians.
The SPD party, led by Okamura, built its election campaign on criticism of migration policy, particularly regarding displaced persons from Ukraine. After the elections in October, Andrej Babiš, leader of the ANO movement, formed a coalition agreement with the SPD and another right-wing populist party, ‘Motorists’, which significantly changed the political landscape of the Czech Republic.