Protesters demand Ukraine flag's return on front of Prague National Museum

A large group of demonstrators gathered in front of the National Museum on Wenceslas Square Thursday evening and night, demanding that the Ukrainian flag be restored to the building’s facade after its removal in late August.

The flag, hung shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, had been an expression of Czech solidarity for over three years. It was taken down to make space for promotional banners for the Lucy and Selam exhibition, which showcased ancient ancestors. That exhibition ended recently—but the flag has not reappeared.

Museum officials had pledged to return the flag after the exhibition ended, but it has not reappeared. The building’s facade is now used to advertise 100 Treasures, 100 Stories, featuring artifacts like a jade sculpture from Taiwan.

Thursday’s demonstration, organized by the Kaputin association, began at 6:30 p.m. in front of the museum’s main entrance. Czech media report that about 100 people attended. Participants listened to three speeches, including one by writer and former lawmaker Olga Sommerová. 

At the end of the half-hour gathering, organizers raised the Ukrainian flag on two mobile poles in front of the entrance while others hung a smaller flag above the museum’s fountain.

“The goal of this meeting is to draw attention to the fact that a very important symbol in today's uncertain times has been removed,” Petr Lázňovský, a Kaputin co-organizer, told Novinky.cz. “This is the main building on the main square in the capital, so it is the biggest symbol we have in this regard,” he added.

National Museum director Michal Lukeš said earlier that the decision about the flag’s placement was an internal matter. The Ministry of Culture, led by Martin Baxa, stated that such displays are the responsibility of individual public institutions.

Sommerová criticized the museum’s decision, saying, “It was amazing that the flag hung at the head of Wenceslas Square, where history went. The fact that the management does not want to return it is a sign of fear. There is no bravery there.” Police and an anti-conflict team monitored the peaceful protest, which ended without incident. 

On Nov. 17, 2024, people protested in front of the National Museum against the government and its aid to Ukraine. That same day and they tried to deliver a petition to remove Ukrainian flags from state-run buildings at the government’s Straka Academy.