Culture minister dismisses Martin Baxa from Prague Spring board following dispute over allocation of funds

Czech Culture Minister Oto Klempíř has dismissed his predecessor Martin Baxa from the board of the Prague Spring festival, where Baxa had served as chairman. The move follows a dispute between the two over the allocation of film subsidies.

In a statement sent to the Czech News Agency (ČTK), Baxa described his removal as punishment for speaking out against what he called Klempíř’s attempt to undermine the independence of the State Audiovisual Fund. He also accused the minister of targeting queer-themed projects.

Klempíř had previously criticized the allocation of nearly one million crowns in public funding to a film focused on the queer community.

Baxa said it was “absolutely unacceptable” for a member of a democratic government to publicly attack free culture and minority rights.