Vandals sprayed antisemitic graffiti on the window and entrance of a Jewish souvenir and kosher food store in Prague’s Vinohrady district, writing the words “Fascists” and “Holocaust 2025.”
“This is an unacceptable act that crosses all boundaries,” said Pavel Král, Chairman of Prague’s Jewish community. Despite the severity of the incident in a country considered one of Israel’s closest allies, no arrests have been made.
According to Czech media, the incident last week was the third time in a month that the shop was targeted. Police said they are investigating but have yet to identify a suspect.
“In the last month we have recorded three incidents of spray painting at a store on Belgická Street. They are being investigated as property damage,” Prague police spokesperson Jan Rybanský said. Local police said the offense carries a penalty of up to three years in prison.
The chairman of Prague’s Jewish community, Pavel Král, condemned the attack. “This is a completely unacceptable act that crosses all boundaries,” he said.
Community leaders in Prague stressed that they believe the act of vandalism was the work of a lone individual seeking attention, and not part of a wider trend.
For years, the Czech Republic has been regarded as one of Israel’s strongest allies in Europe. More than a decade ago, for example, it was the only European country to oppose the Palestinian request for a non-member observer-state status at the UN General Assembly.
More recently, on October 10, 2023, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský was the first foreign official to visit Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack, meeting relatives of hostages held in Gaza, such as the granddaughter of Yaffa Adar.
Two weeks later, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala also visited, telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “Hamas is our common enemy. We must ensure that it is isolated. And it is on EU terror list for years and now we must act.”
