'Milos into the bin' - students protest Czech president ahead of election

Record ID: 990959

  • Title: 'Milos into the bin' - students protest Czech president ahead of election
  • Date: 26th January 2018
  • Summary: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (JANUARY 26, 2018) (REUTERS) STUDENTS STANDING AROUND TABLE TALKING VARIOUS OF STUDENTS PICKING UP CARDBOARD CUTOUTS OF ZEMAN WITH SLOGAN READING (Czech): "MILOS INTO THE BIN" (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) STUDENT PROTEST ORGANIZER, MICHAL GREGORINI, SAYING: "Because president Zeman behaves the way he behaves we are putting into practise the Czech saying that filth belongs in the rubbish bin. That's why the motto is: "Milos into the bin." STUDENTS PICKING UP CARDBOARD CUTOUTS OF ZEMAN STUDENTS LEAVING TO DISTRIBUTE CUTOUTS STUDENTS WALKING IN STREET WITH CARDBOARD CUTOUTS STUDENT PUTTING CARDBOARD CUTOUT OF ZEMAN INTO RUBBISH BIN WOMAN LAUGHING (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) STUDENT PROTESTER, MARIE HAVRDOVA, SAYING: "We are putting President Milos Zeman into the rubbish bin because he simply belongs there." STUDENT CARRYING CARDBOARD CUTOUTS OF ZEMAN STUDENT PUTTING CARDBOARD CUTOUT OF ZEMAN INTO WASTE BIN/ STUDENT WALKING AWAY (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) PRAGUE RESIDENT, JAROSLAV KOPIC, SAYING: "I think that we have been waiting the change (of president) for a long time and now here is a chance that decency returns in our country." CARDBOARD CUTOUT OF ZEMAN IN RUBBISH BIN, PEOPLE WALKING BY
  • Embargoed: 9th February 2018 12:00
  • Keywords: Czech presidential election Milos Zeman Czech president students Zeman cardboard cutouts
  • Location: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
  • City: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
  • Country: Czech Republic
  • Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA0017ZR0THJ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: In a show of protest against Czech President Milos Zeman students stuck cardboard cutouts of the president in rubbish bins around Prague on Friday (January 26) morning, ahead of a tight run-off of the presidential election on Friday and Saturday (January 27).
    The students want a change of the person sitting in the Prague Castle and have taken the cardboard images from past regional elections that they found in south Bohemia, changed the slogan and put the cutouts in bins around the city.
    The slogan on the cutout is the rhyming phrase in Czech "Milos do kose" which translates to "Milos in the bin". The saying stems from 1989 when, during the so called Velvet Revolution, students used "Milos do kose" for Communist Party secretary general Milos Jakes.
    Many see the vote as a referendum on the incumbent Zeman, 73, a former centre-left prime minister who has shifted sharply to the right, with a brash style that has divided the EU nation.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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