Flag removal backfires: Czech parliament now displays even more Ukrainian flags

Newly elected speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura ordered the removal of the Ukrainian flag from the parliament’s façade on Thursday, fulfilling a far-right campaign pledge just hours after taking office. The controversial move was immediately condemned by former coalition partners.

Okamura, leader of the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement, said the removal fulfilled a campaign promise to display only Czech national symbols on public buildings. “Czechia comes first,” Okamura said in a video shared on social media, where he was seen holding a stepladder as the flag was taken down.

That symbolic anti-Kyiv gesture was immediately and dramatically defied. Within hours, members of the outgoing government coalition hung three new Ukrainian flags on the building, ensuring the Chamber of Deputies now displays more symbols of solidarity than before the speaker’s order.

The flag confrontation marks the first major political showdown for the new government, turning a parliamentary building into a flashpoint over Czechia's stance on the war. The incident immediately drew praise from Russian state media, which claimed the action reflected a significant political shift in Prague away from previous "hysterical support" for Kyiv.

Outgoing Defense Minister Jana Černochová of the ODS condemned the speaker's action as an embarrassing display, posting a photo of her party’s flag on the building and stating on X: “The House of Representatives is not his property.”

Leaders across the Czech political spectrum joined in the criticism. “Okamura chose to take down the Ukrainian flag as his first step in leading the Chamber of Deputies. It is difficult to imagine a more symbolic demonstration of distorted priorities,” Pirate Party chairman and Prague Deputy Mayor for Transport Zdeněk Hřib said on X.

The Ukrainian flag had been displayed on the parliament building since Feb. 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The speaker's initial decision quickly drew the attention of Russian state media. Rodion Miroshnik, described by the Kremlin as its ambassador for crimes of the Kyiv regime, claimed the action reflected a wider political shift in Prague.

“The Czech Republic's attitude towards Ukraine has changed significantly,” Miroshnik told the Kremlin-controlled TASS news agency.

TASS framed the move as a reversal of the previous government’s “hysterical support” for Kyiv under outgoing Prime Minister Petr Fiala. The Russian news agency also made reference to Okamura’s campaign calls to curb benefits for Ukrainian refugees in Czechia.

The flag had also been displayed on the front of Prague’s National Museum, but was removed in late August this year to promote other exhibitions. Some pro-Ukraine demonstrators are demanding its return.