A caricature of Putin enthroned on a golden toilet greets the leaders of the summit in front of the Castle
Friday’s demonstration at the Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk monument in Hradčanské náměstí was called by the Pulse of Europe movement in cooperation with the Kaputin group – Democrats, let’s stop Putin. You consider the Kaputin group activist to be the main enemy of the Russian president. There are also supporters of the pan-European political movement Volt, which strives for Eurofederalism and politics that transcend national borders.
According to their words, all the participants of the demonstration wanted to show that the Czechs still support Ukraine. “Not all of us go to pro-Russian events on Wenceslas Day,” they wrote in the event on their Facebook. “It’s time for us Europeans and democrats to speak up again, don’t you think?” read a post by activists who support the actions of both Europe and the EU.
Under the model of Putin, which the activists placed in front of the Castle, a figure symbolizing the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, sits with a bloodied hockey stick in his hand. He rests on a black bag with a mock-up of a dead body and the words “naked killers” above it.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauséda came to the protesters before entering the Castle grounds and talked to them for a while, then received applause from them. “I told them that Ukraine has our full support, these young people have our support,” Nauséda told reporters afterward. According to him, Ukraine fully needs support, especially after the last steps, such as the so-called referendum followed by Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territories. “He doesn’t need our help tomorrow, but right now. And we will provide them,” he added.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, on the other hand, earned whistles and shouts of “strong EU” from the protesters. At the arrival of each statesman, activists chanted “No veto strong EU” in front of Prague Castle. In the summer, the debate about the transition to majority voting was renewed. When the European Union wants to make a decision on important matters, consent must be given by twenty-seven countries.
A group of supporters and a member of the Volt movement from Germany also arrived. One of the members of the movement, Friedrich Jeschke, said that their goal is to get more people into politics who will promote pan-European solutions. Although he himself is from Germany, I do not agree with Germany’s European policy.
At one point, protesters also interrupted Prime Minister Petr Fiala, who was giving an interview to the media, with their chanting. As the activists chanted loudly, Fiala paused for a moment. “I haven’t been able to record the demonstration yet,” he replied afterwards.
French President Emmanuel Macron also passed by the protesters. Together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, they walked to the Castle.
Nonsense and vanity
The effigy mocking Vladimir Putin, which the demonstrators installed in front of the Prague Castle, appeared in public earlier. In April 2021, with the same statue, but instead of a washing machine, the caricature was holding golden toilet paper, a group gathered at the Russian embassy in Prague.
“With our installation of a naked Putin on a golden toilet, we want to express support for ordinary people in Russia and abroad and solidarity with the victims of Putin’s regime. The current regime in Russia robs Russian citizens, severely punishes expressions of dissent, jails, tortures or even kills critics,” she said at the time for Daily the Kaputin group.
The golden toilet brush and toilet paper are meant to symbolize the vanity and vanity of Russian oligarchs and high-ranking state officials. Otakar van Gemund, who heads the Kaputin group, has been opposing Putin for a long time. Currently, consideration is being given to auctioning off this statue. All proceeds should go to help Ukraine.