Newly elected Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura began his term by removing the Ukrainian flag from the lower house of Parliament.

The flag, which had hung above the entrance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, was taken down on Thursday afternoon on Okamura’s direct orders.

The decision marks a clear break from his predecessor Markéta Pekarová Adamová, who had placed the flag as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine.

Okamura, leader of the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, assumed office on Wednesday after securing 107 votes in a secret ballot.

Okamura’s election had been assured through a coalition agreement between ANO, SPD, and Motorists, who also secured two vice-chair positions for Patrik Nacher (ANO) and Jiří Barták (Motorists).

While the Ukrainian flag is gone, three others remain flying on the Parliament building — those of Czechia, the European Union, and Israel. The Israeli flag has been displayed since the October 2023 Hamas attacks that killed more than 1,200 people.

Ukrainian Flag Also Taken Down from the National Museum

The removal follows a similar move by the National Museum in Prague, which recently took down the Ukrainian flag after nearly three years. It had been displayed since the early days of the Russian invasion but was replaced with a banner promoting an exhibition of Ethiopian fossils — the famous hominids Lucy and Selam.

According to the museum’s spokesperson Andrea Kvapilová, there are no plans to reinstall the flag. “The space will now be used to promote major exhibitions, such as 100 Treasures, 100 Stories, which showcases artifacts from the Chinese emperors’ collection lent by Taiwan’s National Palace Museum,” she said.

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