In the Czech Republic, an activist who called for tearing down Ukrainian flags has been declared wanted.

An activist who called for tearing down Ukrainian flags has been sentenced

A Czech court has sentenced 68-year-old activist Jaroslav Popelka, who called for tearing down Ukrainian flags from public buildings. The man was sentenced to six months in prison, but he did not appear in court and is now being sought by the police.

Earlier, Popelka had already been sentenced to a suspended sentence of four months with a probation period of one and a half years, as well as a ban on being in Prague. However, he violated these prohibitions and with the fresh court decision, he was sentenced to two months of actual imprisonment. But the police did not find the activist at his place of residence, so he was declared wanted.

At the last hearing, the court changed Popelka's probation period to six months in prison. But the activist was absent from the courtroom. He previously stated that he does not recognize the decisions of the Czech courts and will not comply with them.

Jaroslav Popelka is actively opposed to Ukrainian flags on public buildings. He called for tearing down the Ukrainian flag from the National Museum, which led to a clash with the police. He also wrote to some institutions that if they do not remove the flag, they could become targets of violence.

Recall that the Help Ukraine Fund, founded by Volodymyr Herhel, was accused of embezzling subsidies intended for programs integrating Ukrainian refugees.