Prague protesters replace presidential flag with red underpants

It was a public art protest that raised a few eyebrows, among other things.

On Saturday, a guerrilla art group known as Ztohoven replaced the presidential flag on Prague Castle with a pair of giant red underpants. Prague Castle is the official residence of Czech president Miloš Zeman.

Ztohoven spokesperson Petr Žílka tells As it Happens host Carol Off that three members of the arts group were able to get on the castle's roof using what he called social engineering techniques.

"Our members took the chimney sweepers' dress code and tried to be invisible. And they simply went up, because there is reconstruction running on the Prague Castle now, so they used the reconstruction site and they stood up. They didn't have to break through any security system. It was quite simple," says Žílka.

He explained that the giant red underpants were a symbol of many things related to the president.

"Red underpants may interpreted as communist. He calls himself democrat, but in fact he's acting like any other authoritarian politician, like [Russian president Vladimir] Putin and others."

Presidential spokesperson Jiří Ovčáček compared the act as a dishonour not seen since the Nazis raised their flag above Prague Castle, but Žílka did not take offence to that comparison.

"It's great. It's totally great because thanks to him the media attention is much higher than we expected," says Žílka. "They have to use these heavy words to keep the media attention up, so that's great."

In 2013, artist David Černý launched his own protest against the Czech President by sailing a giant purple hand with an extended middle finger down the Vltava River in Prague. Černý congratulated the Ztohoven art group on their efforts atop Prague Castle.