The authors of the petition against Staněk negotiated with Babiš and Hamáček

Prague - Today, the authors of a petition calling for the dismissal of Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (ČSSD), which has garnered over 5,000 signatures in six days, presented it to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO). They demand Staněk's dismissal due to the manner in which he removed Jiří Fajt, the director of the National Gallery in Prague, and Michal Soukup, the director of the Olomouc Museum of Art, two weeks ago. The meeting today was also attended by ČSSD chairman Jan Hamáček.

"We were welcomed warmly, listened to for a long time, and it was stated that the situation is definitely serious and needs to be addressed, and Chairman Hamáček promised that he would take it seriously," said architect Josef Pleskot on behalf of the petition's authors after the meeting with ČTK and Czech Television.

The coalition agreement states that the party that nominated ministers proposes their dismissal. According to Pleskot, Hamáček promised that the situation would be addressed immediately upon Staněk's return from a business trip. No deadlines were mentioned, but Staněk's opponents reject the notion that it is currently possible, as the minister claims, to announce a selection process for the director of the NGP. "In our opinion, it must be announced by another minister," said Pleskot.

Both Hamáček and Babiš, according to Pleskot, realize that the reactions from dozens of directors of world museums and galleries indicate that Staněk's action has caused international embarrassment. The arguments that Staněk presented for Fajt's dismissal are not recognized by the petition's authors. "We cannot assess it, we cannot identify whether an audit was conducted, whether it was done correctly, whether its conclusions were verified by someone; we do not know this. We only believe that the performance of the Minister of Culture is not credible enough, is not competent enough, and does not inspire our trust in any way," said Pleskot.

"I wouldn't dare say whether it's a political order. None of us knows that. We only say that signs of a political order could be interpreted behind this, and I think many people read it this way, but no one knows. Prime Minister Babiš said that no one spoke to him about Fajt's dismissal from the Castle, and I believe that Mr. Hamáček also confirmed that he did not," Pleskot said. Speculation about the impact of the Castle on Staněk arises due to the long-term disagreement of President Miloš Zeman with Fajt and his repeated refusals to appoint Fajt as a professor.

Babiš, who subscribes to the idea of establishing a Centre Pompidou branch in Prague and its authorship, acknowledged, according to the petition authors, that Fajt's dismissal would result in the project losing a significant player from the Czech side. Bernard Blistène, the director of the Centre Pompidou, also added his signature in support of Fajt today.

Representatives of the petition's authors, including DOX director Leoš Válka and director Václav Marhoul, presented Babiš primarily with the text of their appeal. They did not submit the petition sheets to him, as they believe the number of signatures is increasing every day. Support from abroad is also growing, primarily from professional circles; as of today, nearly forty directors of world museums and galleries have signed a joint letter addressed to Babiš.