Politicians criticise attack on National Museum after anti-government protest

Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan condemned the attempted museum break-in by demonstrators at Saturday's anti-government protest in Prague. He wrote on Facebook that he understands people's fear of poverty and war, but considers the violent attack on the museum building unacceptable.

Minister of Culture Martin Baxa also criticised the actions of the group of protestors, writing on Twitter that endangering national cultural heritage should not be confused with the right to demonstrate, and thanked the police for their handling of the situation.

The police arrested 18 people who tried to enter the National Museum building by force after Saturday's anti-government demonstration in Prague's Wenceslas Square. According to the Czech News Agency, the protestors were trying to tear down the Ukrainian flag that was hanging from the museum. Two police officers were injured in the skirmish.

One of the people arrested has been detained on suspicion of endorsing genocide, which is a crime in Czechia, the Czech News Agency reported on Sunday. Photos from the demonstration showed the man had the letter Z on his backpack, which is a symbol used by the Russian army in Ukraine, and was also wearing the logo of the Russian mercenary group Wagner on his sleeve. Most of the other 18 people arrested are charged with misdemeanours.