The presence of members of the Czech Republic’s PRO opposition party at a large Prague rally, involving 500 tractors, was alleged by the government as being “infiltration” of the protests by “pro-Russian forces.” (While the protest did not have the support from the main Czech farm organizations, it was certainly justified.) Originally, the tractorcade and rally were organized by Bohumír Dufek, chairman of the Trade Union of Agriculture and Food Industry, the Association of Free Trade Unions, and by agricultural entrepreneur Zdeněk Jandejsek.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala posted his slander on X: “Today’s demonstration has little to do with the fight for better conditions for farmers.” He wrote that the entire event was organized by “people who make no secret of the fact that they support the Kremlin, for example, and pursue goals other than the interests of farmers.” But apart from the known fact that the PRO is critical of the EU and objects to the sanctions (which raise the cost of energy), Fiala provided zero by way of hard evidence for his claims.
