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Unknown activists replaced an Israeli flag with a Palestinian one on the Prague 1 Town Hall overnight and distributed a fake press release falsely claiming the move was endorsed by the district office, officials confirmed today. This led to Czechia’s public news agency wrongly reporting the news.
Staff removed the Palestinian flag early in the morning. Meanwhile, the unauthorized press statement, sent from a forged email address, circulated to Czech media outlets and appeared to come from Prague 1 spokeswoman Karolína Šnejdarová.
Šnejdarová said the city district reported the incident to police and is preparing a criminal complaint. “This information is completely false and is being spread by an unknown perpetrator, whose act we consider a targeted attack on the credibility of a public institution,” she said.
The fabricated release also falsely quoted Prague 1 Mayor Terezia Radoměřská and Deputy Mayor Tomáš Heres. Radoměřská condemned the act, calling it a misuse of her and Heres’ identities and an attempt to exploit international conflict for domestic disruption.
The Israeli flag had been displayed on the town hall since October 2023 as a gesture of solidarity following Hamas attacks in Israel and in support of Prague 1’s partner city, Rosh Ha’ayin. The move has faced criticism from opposition representatives, including former mayor Pavel Čižinský, who unsuccessfully lobbied for its removal.
“The Prague 1 city district deeply values its partnership with the Israeli city of Rosh Ha'ayin and equally expresses its sympathy for every human victim. Innocent lives—whether Israeli or Palestinian—are innocent lives,” Radoměřská said.
ČTK, Czechia’s largest news agency and one that is run by the state, briefly published the fake release before retracting it approximately 20 minutes later. Editor-in-chief Radka Matesová Marková acknowledged the error.
“It was a difficult mistake to excuse. The procedure was in conflict with all editorial rules and long-standing practice,” she said. The agency issued a correction and notified subscribers of the error.
ČTK director Jaroslav Kábele apologized to Radoměřská for the publication. The Prague 1 district urged media outlets and the public to verify information carefully.
