Victory Day festival in Prague draws hundreds, police monitor event

Hundreds of people gathered in Prague’s Old Town Square on Saturday for a Victory Day festival organised by the initiative No to Bases and the group Magistra Vitae. According to the news website Seznam Zprávy, the group is linked to communist politician Josef Skála and other left-wing activists. Opponents of Russia also gathered nearby. Police monitored the event, but no major incidents were reported.

Organisers say the festival commemorates more than just the Soviet army. Alongside a Soviet tank, the square also features a Jeep with an American flag. The stage is decorated with portraits of former Czechoslovak president Ludvík Svoboda, Soviet marshal Ivan Konev and communist journalist Julius Fučík.

Some participants arrived in military uniforms, while others wore St. George ribbons, now also seen as a symbol of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Opponents of the event carried Ukrainian flags.