A Czech teacher and village mayor, Antonín Kolář, has issued an open letter apologizing to Ukraine for remarks made by Czech parliament speaker Tomio Okamura. The letter has been supported by thousands of people across the Czech Republic.
According to ProUkrainu.cz, Kolář addressed the letter to Ukraine’s ambassador to the Czech Republic Vasyl Zvarych, saying that statements made by Tomio Okamura in his New Year’s speech relativize Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and downplay the suffering of its people.
Kolář said the initiative was purely personal and driven by a sense of civic responsibility. He stressed the need to clearly distance himself from Okamura’s remarks, which criticized military support for Ukraine and targeted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his circle. In the letter, he also drew parallels with Czechoslovakia in 1938, warning against the dangers of appeasing an aggressor.
Nearly 25,000 people have signed the letter since its publication. Okamura’s statements sparked strong reactions in the Czech Republic: opposition politicians condemned them, Ukraine’s ambassador called the remarks unacceptable, and Czech President Petr Pavel said they had caused concern both domestically and abroad. Separate online petitions calling for Okamura’s resignation as speaker of parliament have also gathered tens of thousands of signatures.
In his message, Kolář emphasized that Ukraine is defending not only its own territory but also the core principles of European civilization, and expressed solidarity and gratitude to the Ukrainian people.