PRAGUE, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Czechs rallied on Sunday in support of President Peter Pavel after he refused to approve the nomination of a minister to the new eurosceptic coalition government who performed a Nazi salute and posted Nazi memorabilia.
In an escalating rift with the government, the pro-EU and pro-Ukraine Pavel last week accused Foreign Minister Petr Macinka of sending text messages via his adviser that threatened the president with “consequences” if he continued to oppose Filip Turek’s nomination as Czech environment minister.
Turek, a member of Macinka’s right-wing Motorists party, has faced criticism for making a Nazi salute and posting Nazi memorabilia. Turek has put his behaviour down to bad taste rather than any affinity for Nazism or racism.
Supporters of the president filled Prague’s Old Town Square and nearby Wenceslas Square, while police closed off a number of streets in the area.
Many protesters waved EU and Czech flags and carried signs saying “We stand with the president”. Some voiced support for Ukraine and opposition to Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis’ coalition government.
Police gave no official estimate of the size of the protest but organizers put the number at 80,000 to 90,000 people, and said they planned to hold further demonstrations in other towns across the Czech Republic on February 15.
After winning an October election, Babis’ populist ANO party cobbled together a coalition with the Motorists and the far-right, pro-Russian SPD.
Pavel appointed Babis in December but objected to Turek’s inclusion in the list of cabinet nominees and then made public the messages Macinka sent last week, describing them as blackmail. He has referred the messages for review by the National Organized Crime Agency.
Macinka has rejected the president’s accusation of blackmail over the text messages, saying they were all part of a typical political negotiation.
Commenting on the matter on Czech television on Sunday, Macinka said: “Politics is not a discipline for princesses… it is a very demanding discipline. Everyone who is in top politics should show greater resilience.”
(Reporting by Michael Kahn, Editing by Gareth Jones)
