As voices for Palestine grow louder in pro-Israel Czech Republic, so does hostility

By Ebad Ahmed

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AA) – A pro-Palestine movement is gaining more momentum by the day in the Czech Republic, a country that, in the words of its own prime minister, sees itself as the “voice of Israel in Europe.”

The “Free Palestine” call, something once restricted to the fringes of Czech society, is a popular slogan on the streets of the capital Prague today, courtesy active social media campaigns and two successful protest marches that drew over a thousand people each time.

But while Palestine is finally becoming an elephant in the room in Czech political discourse, so is the intense hostility against activists challenging the country’s position.

Kara Kloss is a known figure in pro-Palestine activist circles in Prague, a person who never shies away from speaking her mind, be it at protests, through her art or on social media.

In her own words, she lives with the belief that “the personal is political and the political is personal.”

That was literally what Kloss did when she decided to use her personal space – her home – to convey her feelings about the deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has now killed more than 35,500 Palestinians in just over five months.

She put up posters in her apartment windows, with the messages: “Ceasefire Now,” “Free Palestine” and “It is Humanitarian not Political.”

Little did Kloss know that would put her at risk of losing of her home.

“The homeowner accused me of endangering the neighborhood and asked me to take it down,” Kloss, an American national working as an English teacher in Prague, told Anadolu.

“I said that while ‘Free Palestine’ could have a political context that may, unfortunately, not be welcome in Prague, asking for a cease-fire is a statement for peace. Simply asking for violence to stop.”

Kloss offered to speak with the neighbors who had an issue with the posters, but that was curtly rejected.

After an exchange of WhatsApp messages, seen by Anadolu, she was given an ultimatum: take down the posters or leave the apartment.

She opted for a middle way: “I took my posters and I added some art to them, so now you can only see some keywords and some beautiful art and flowers around them.

“The resistance is still there but, of course, one has to choose their battles.”

- ‘I hope somebody will rape you”

The friction between Kloss and her Prague neighborhood appears to be an extension of the larger structural clash of narratives in the Czech Republic.

The animosity against pro-Palestine activists has, at times, manifested in much more nefarious ways.

At a protest outside a Czech-Israeli forum in Prague last month, a man hurled a threat of sexual violence at protesters.

“I hope somebody will rape you, the same way they raped Israel,” he said to a group of women.

The threat drew condemnation from outside the Czech Republic, but within the country, police, media, civil society and politicians reacted with indifference.

A number of prominent Czech politicians were among those attending the event, including former minister Michaela Marksova Tominova, who even made a provocative gesture at the protesters outside.

- ‘People are scared to say anything’

Jana Ridvanova, a leading activist based in Prague, believes the hostility against the pro-Palestine movement is rooted in the Czech Republic’s push to reverse all policies of its Soviet-influenced past.

“Now we follow the West on every issue, be it the illegal invasion and bloody occupation of Iraq or supporting the (Israeli) occupation, apartheid and genocide in Palestine,” she told Anadolu.

“Islamophobia also plays a role here. But the main factor would be the Western interest-centered lens dominating the media, politics, and even the academia.”

Despite the government’s staunch pro-Israel stance, Czech society still appears to be unsure about the issue, as evidenced by a recent survey conducted by Herzl Center for Israel Studies at the Charles University in Prague.

In response to a question about the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and Israel’s war on Gaza, 32% of the respondents said they support Israel, 7% favored Palestinians, while 36% were on neither side.

On the Czech government’s view, 30% agreed with the official pro-Israel stance and 20% disagreed, with the remaining half saying they were unaware of the position.

“There is a segment of society that questions what is served to them by the media and politicians, but obviously the decisive factor here is the government and politicians, who are ideologically and pragmatically very pro-Zionist,” said Ridvanova.

“People are scared to say anything because it can cost them their jobs and positions.”

Jakub Kovar, a Czech student in Prague and an active participant in pro-Palestine demonstrations, has also been facing backlash for his activism.

“A lot of my friends asked me whether I’m scared of losing my public sector job,” he told Anadolu.

“The truth is I am constantly struggling with morality versus keeping my job. I’ve also lost some of my friends because of my opinions.”

Ridvanova emphasizes that the societal dilemma in Czech Republic is because of the incessant repetition of “Zionist mythology.”

“All these myths of the Zionists always only defending themselves. From 1948 through to 1967, everything is argued as being ‘self-defense,’ even the following brutal occupation,” she said.

“The myth about the Palestinians refusing their state is also repeated a lot. It breaks down to viewing the occupier as ‘the only democracy in the Middle East’ and Palestinians as the ultimate evil terrorists. People here have no idea about the Nakba (of 1948) and the ongoing Nakba. The Czechs are only being fed the occupying army and its government’s narrative.”

For Kloss, while she acknowledges that the reality is starker for pro-Palestine voices because of the dominant Israeli narrative, polite engagement is more important than confrontation.

“Of course, it is uncomfortable to be considered the lone troublemaker in the neighborhood. No one wants that kind of attention,” she said.

“They say in my hometown that if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. I’m ready to take more heat, with pleasure.”