Jindřich Reichl is the leader of the Czech political party PRO. The PRO party is known for its pro-Russian, anti-establishment and nationalist positions, and Reichl has emerged as a prominent figure within the party. Reichl has been critical of the European Union, NATO, and the Czech government’s policies on various matters, including their stance towards Russia and Ukraine.
He has voiced opposition to sanctions against Russia, aligning himself with other pro-Russian political figures in the Czech Republic. The PRO party also tends to oppose COVID-19 restrictions and mandates, and Reichl has been a vocal critic of the Czech government’s handling of the pandemic. Under Reichl’s leadership, PRO has gained some attention for its populist and Eurosceptic rhetoric, attempting to appeal to Czech voters who are dissatisfied with mainstream political parties.
In 2023, Thousands of supporters of a pro-Russian Czech opposition party assembled in Prague to protest against the country’s centre-right government, denouncing its economic management and military support for Ukraine. The demonstration was called by the PRO movement, which is not represented in parliament and has taken a nationalist, pro-Moscow and anti-Western line.
News agency CTK calculated the turnout at about 10,000 people, smaller than a similar occurrence a year ago which took place at the height of Europe’s energy price surge. Raichl commanded the nationalist policies of pro-Russian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as a role model and called for an association of Central European countries to counter Brussels. He also expressed support for Slovakia’s ex-Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has assumed a staunchly anti-Western stance ahead of an election on 30 September.
Moreover, as Ukrinform reported, during the earlier anti-government protest in the Czech Republic, also arranged by PRO, the police detained a man wearing a Wagner badge and the Russian “Z” swastika. After the demonstration finished, a group of protesters moved to try to break into the National Museum. At the same time, several radicals attempted to remove the flag of Ukraine from the Museum building.
