On Monday, a group of activists protested against the agreement reached between the Czech and Polish governments regarding the continuation of mining at the Turów brown coal mine in Prague’s Vršovice district by symbolically closing the water supply to the Ministry of the Environment building.
“I have the feeling that this goes beyond the bounds of decent behavior,” Environment Minister Anna Hubáčková (KDU-ČSL) said. She considers the actions of the activists to be unprecedented. “This is not a dialogue,” the head of the Ministry said.
One activist remained at the site with a banner reading “Work for Climate Justice.” He was sitting on a chair over a water shut-off valve he had tampered with earlier. The man said he was from a place near Turów. “I don’t agree with the agreement made by the Czech government.”
“A moment of discomfort for you, a reality for them.”
In a statement to the media, the demonstrators said that “our symbolic act of civil disobedience is meant to remind the Ministry of the Environment that what is just a momentary inconvenience for them today is a daily reality for the residents of the Liberec Region.”
According to ministry staff, the activists disrupted the functioning of the water supply system in the building. A review engineer was on site and said the water supply is provided by the fire suppression system throughout the building. The protest ended about half an hour after the police arrived.