Supporters plan Havel-Dalai Lama billboard in protest at flags welcoming Chinese leader

The Society to Build a Statue to Václav Havel is planning to place a billboard featuring a picture of the late former president and Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama on the road leading from the airport to the city centre ahead of a visit Monday by Xi Jinping. The placing of Chinese flags and billboards welcoming the Chinese President along the route has caused anger in some quarters and the pro-Havel group say they make a mockery of freedom, human rights and democracy. The mayor of the Prague 6 district where the flags have been erected, Ondřej Kolář, said permission had been granted for the protest billboard. Mr. Kolář is also opposed to the Chinese flags and his office plans to raise a Tibetan one during Mr. Xi’s visit.

Author: Ian Willoughby