Prague, Nov 2 (CTK) – A Czech state attorney has filed criminal charges against a man who is suspected of pelting eggs at President Milos Zeman at a November 17 national holiday meeting two years ago, Ondrej Stastny, spokesman for the State Attorney’s Office, told CTK on Wednesday.
The suspect faces up to two years in prison.
The court can either find him guilty by a court order or it can initiate a public trial.
The incident occurred during the ceremonial unveiling of a plaque marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the communist regime in Prague-Albertov.
A crowd of hundreds of people booed out Zeman and waved banners condemning his leaning towards Russia, the vulgar statements he made on radio and his excessive alcohol drinking.
Various items including eggs were pelted by people in the crowd and calls for Zeman’s resignation were heard.
Bodyguards protected Zeman with open umbrellas.
Zeman labelled the throwers of eggs and other items cowards.
The Presidential Office later said one of the eggs hit German President Joachim Gauck in the head.
According to other information, however, Gauck was only hit by an eggshell and he took the incident easily.
The meeting was also attended by the presidents of Slovakia, Poland and Hungary.
The police arrested no one during the meeting but they identified two men who allegedly pelted objects. Originally, the two were accused of misdemeanour. The case was submitted to the relevant District Town Hall, whose officials acquitted the suspects.
However, the City Hall later ordered the district hall to assess the men’s conduct as misdemeanour.
Afterwards, the state attorney ordered the police to investigate the egg pelting on suspicion of a crime. Earlier this year, the police halted the prosecution of one of the two suspects, since the evidence did not support the suspicion.
