On 29 April 2024, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier personally commemorated the December tragedy victims at CU FA. His Czech counterpart, Petr Pavel, accompanied him to the faculty building on Jan Palach Square.
Both presidents paid tribute to the memory of the fourteen victims of the December shooting at CU FA and laid wreaths with ribbons in the national colours in front of the building. At the commemorative meeting, they also had a short conversation with the Rector of Charles University, Prof. Milena Králíčková, and the Dean of CU FA, Dr. Eva Lehečková. They also expressed their condolences to the present student representatives.
The German President is not the only statesman and politician who commemorated the victims during his visit to Prague. Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and, on 24 April 2024, Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Maria Varteressian have done so as well.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier included the short stop at CU FA in his official two-day visit to Prague. On Tuesday, 30 April 2024, he will deliver a speech at the conference “20 Years of the Czech Republic in the EU: a Vision for an Enlarged Europe” organised by Prague Castle. He will meet with Prime Minister Petr Fiala at the Straka Academy in the afternoon. He will also meet with representatives of Czech Jewish communities, take a walk in the footsteps of Franz Kafka, and attend the Czech and German international music and cultural project Musica non grata.
Text: Helena Zdráhalová, Jitka Jiřičková (CU)
Photo: Martin Hundák, Jiří Stibor (CU FA)
