Write of return: 15 years after Klaus stole a pen in Chile, Pavel replaces it

A noted chapter in Czech meme history came full circle yesterday as President Petr Pavel left his pen behind in Chile, 15 years after his predecessor Václav Klaus became the subject of a viral international incident involving a borrowed pen that ended up in his pocket.

During his state visit to South America this week, Pavel left a personal pen in the Chilean presidential palace on Friday after it was used during official signing ceremonies. The moment went largely unnoticed at the time, but quickly drew comparisons at home to one of Czech diplomacy’s most replayed viral clips.

In 2011, Klaus was filmed appearing to pocket a ceremonial pen during a press event in Santiago, an episode that spread globally and became a long-running internet meme about Czech protocol abroad.

The latest incident unfolded during Pavel’s week-long visit to Argentina and Chile, where he attended a series of meetings focused on defence cooperation, science, and space research.

According to local media reports, Pavel used a decorative pen adorned with Czech garnets during a signing ceremony for memoranda on space technology and Antarctic research. When he noticed that a prepared pen for the Czech ambassador was not working, he offered his own (at around 1:00 in the video below).

After signing the documents, the Czech ambassador returned the pen to Pavel. But instead of putting it back in his pocket, Pavel left the pen behind in the case on the table inside the presidential palace in Santiago—the very same table Klaus sat behind as he covertly lifted a pen in 2011.

Speaking to Czech journalists on Saturday morning, Pavel said the gesture was not planned but spontaneous. He explained that he had brought the pen specifically as a symbolic object representing Czechia, but decided to leave it after the signing process concluded.

“I brought a pen decorated with Czech garnets so I would have something that represents the Czech Republic,” Pavel said. “But when I saw that the ambassador’s pen, which had been prepared there, wasn’t working, I automatically handed him mine.”

“And once the memorandum was signed, which brings us into cooperation on Chile’s national satellite program, which I consider highly beneficial, I thought it would be nice to leave a small trace there, so I left the pen behind.”

There was no visible reaction from Chilean officials, and Pavel himself suggested the moment passed without notice during an otherwise formal and busy schedule. The 2011 episode involving Klaus was not discussed.

“We didn’t really talk about it,” Pavel said. “We had many other topics, and I think this is more of a story for us than for them.”

The reference is hard to forget in Czech public memory. Klaus’s 2011 visit to Chile, during which he was filmed taking a ceremonial pen from the table and placing it in his pocket, became a global viral clip, sparking memes, diplomatic commentary, and even satirical songs and public protests back home.

At the time, the Czech Presidential Office downplayed the incident, saying such pens were often considered souvenirs. The episode nevertheless became one of the most internationally recognized Czech political moments of the decade, parodied by Jay Leno and recreated by Tom Hanks during a press tour.

Pavel's Chilean visit itself focused on substantive agreements, including Czech participation in the development of instruments for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), one of the world’s most ambitious astronomy projects, as well as cooperation in Antarctic research.

Pavel also visited major observatories in the Atacama Desert, including Paranal, part of the European Southern Observatory network, where Czech scientists already play an active role.