Once limited to a fraction of Czech society, the call for a “Free Palestine” has now become a popular slogan on the streets of the capital Prague thanks to active social media campaigns and protest marches, while hostility towards activists who challenge the established attitude in the country is on the rise.
Palestine continues to be an issue that Czech politics and media do not want to address.
Kara Kloss, a US citizen teacher who hung posters on the windows of her house in the Czech Republic reading “Ceasefire now”, “Free Palestine” and “Humanitarian, not political” in reaction to Israel’s attacks on Gaza, faced the reaction of her landlord.
Kloss told AA correspondent that she had problems with her landlord after she called for a ceasefire in Gaza, “The landlord accused me of endangering the neighborhood and asked me to take down the sign.”
Kloss said that she understood that the “Free Palestine” sign might not be welcome in Prague, but that it was peaceful to ask for a ceasefire. Kloss said that she offered to talk to her landlord’s neighbors who had a problem with the posters, but her offer was rejected.
Kloss, who received the message “Take down the posters or leave the apartment!” from her landlord after the incident, said that she decorated the posters with some keywords and flowers around the posters to resolve the conflict and give them an artistic look.
Kloss said, “Of course it’s disturbing to be seen as the lonely troublemaker in the neighborhood. Nobody wants that kind of attention. We say, ‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.’ I am ready to endure more heat, and with pleasure.”
“I hope someone rapes you”
While the friction between Kloss and residents of her Prague neighborhood appears to be an extension of a larger conflict in the Czech Republic, hostility towards pro-Palestinian activists can sometimes manifest in much worse ways.
“I hope someone rapes you, just like they raped Israel,” a man told a group of female demonstrators in front of the building in Prague where a Czech-Israeli forum was being held last month, threatening them with sexual violence.
This threat was condemned from outside the Czech Republic but ignored by the country’s police, media, civil society and politicians.
“People are afraid to say anything”
Jana Ridvanova, one of the activists, believes that the hostility towards pro-Palestinian movements stems from Czechia’s attempt to reverse all the policies of its Soviet-influenced past.
Ridvanova pointed out that they follow the West on every issue, including “the occupation of Iraq, Israel’s occupation of Palestine, apartheid and genocide” and said, “Islamophobia also plays a role here, but the main factor is the Western interest-centered perspective that dominates the media, politics and even academia.”
According to a poll conducted by the Herzl Center for Israel Studies at Charles University in Prague, despite the government’s pro-Israel stance, Czech society is still undecided on the issue.
When asked about Hamas’ attack on October 7 and Israel’s war in Gaza, 32 percent of respondents said they supported Israel, 7 percent said they supported the Palestinians and 36 percent said they did not support either side.
In the survey, 30 percent agreed with the Czech government’s pro-Israel stance, 20 percent disagreed, and half of the respondents said they were not aware of this stance.
Ridvanova argued that there is a section of the country that questions what is served to them by the media and politicians, but the determining factor is the ideologically and pragmatically pro-Israel government and politicians.
“People are afraid to say anything because it could cost them their jobs and their positions,” said activist Ridvanova, noting that the public only follows the Israeli narrative and has no idea of the situation Palestinians have been subjected to for years.
Jakub Kovar, a student in Prague and active participant in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, is also facing backlash for his activism.
“Many of my friends have asked me if I am afraid of losing my job in the public sector. The truth is that it is a constant struggle between keeping my job and being moral. I have also lost some friends because of my opinions.”
