President refused to name Putna over gay pride banner

President Miloš Zeman clarified on Monday the reason he refused to name well-known literary historian Martin C. Putna a university professor. Mr Zeman suggested the crux of the problem for him was a placard Mr Putna carried at Prague’s gay pride parade, which read “Catholic queers salute Bátora”. The banner referred to a highly-controversial former ministry official who opposed the parade two years ago. The president stressed that he respected peoples’ sexual orientation but suggested there was a difference between that and carrying a banner like Mr Putna’s. Mr Putna is widely-recognised as a Catholic intellectual who has focussed on the topics of homosexuality and religion. He is also a vocal critic of the president’s, ridiculing him earlier this year in a video when he was still a candidate ahead of the election.

Author: Jan Velinger