Czechs rally to support president in his growing rift with government
PRAGUE, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Czechs marched in support of President Peter Pavel on Sunday after he refused to endorse his candidacy to minister in the new Eurosceptic coalition government, who gave Nazi salutes and shared Nazi memorabilia.
Pro-EU and pro-Ukrainian Pavel, who has been at growing odds with the government, last week accused Foreign Minister Petr Macinka of sending text messages through his adviser to the president threatening “consequences” if he continued to oppose Filip Turek’s candidacy as Czech environment minister.
Turek, a member of Macinka’s right-wing Bikers party, has faced criticism for giving Nazi salutes and publishing Nazi memorabilia. Turek attributed his behavior to bad taste rather than any affinity for Nazism or racism.
The president’s supporters filled Prague’s Old Town Square and nearby Wenceslas Square, while police closed some streets in the area.
Many protesters waved EU and Czech flags and held signs saying “We stand with the President.” While some supported Ukraine, they expressed their opposition to the coalition government of Czech Prime Minister Andrej ‌Babis.
Police did not give an official estimate of the size of the protest, but organizers estimated the number at between 80,000 and 90,000 and said they planned to hold further demonstrations in other towns in the Czech Republic on February 15.
After Babis’s populist ANO party won the October elections, the Motorists and the far-right formed a coalition with the pro-Russian SPD.
Pavel appointed Babis in December but objected to Turek’s inclusion in the list of cabinet candidates and then made public the messages Macinka sent last week, describing them as blackmail. He sent the messages to the National Organized Crime Agency for review.
Macinka rejected the president’s accusation of blackmail over the text messages, saying they were all part of a typical political negotiation.
Commenting on the issue on Czech television on Sunday, Macinka said: “Politics is not a discipline for princesses… it is a very tough discipline. Everyone involved in high-level politics must show more endurance.”
(Reporting by Michael Kahn, Editing by Gareth Jones)
