Did the police assault a farmer to the extent that he required an ambulance during a protest outside the government building in Prague, in March 2024? No, that's not true: The police prevented an inebriated individual from breaching the fence in front of the building amidst the protest. Although the man, who later complained of pain in his limbs, was taken to an ambulance, a police spokesperson told Lead Stories that the person was not subjected to physical assault, and his injuries were not caused by a physical altercation with officers.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on March 8, 2024. It shows an ambulance in front of the government building and police officers around it. The man in the video speaks in Czech, and says, as translated into English by Lead Stories staff:
Protect and help. Imagine that a farmer was beaten up so badly in front of Strakovka that an ambulance had to take him away.
Strakova Academy, or Strakovka as it is referred to in the quote from the TikTok video, is the government office building in downtown Prague.
This is what the post looks like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue Mar 12 07:22:23 2024 UTC)
The TikTok video features an image captured during the farmers' protest in Prague on March 7, 2024. A similar image, depicting an individual being escorted into an ambulance in front of the Czech government building, circulated in Czech media and is accessible here (archived here). Additionally, IDnes, a Czech daily, shared a video of the protest revealing a mound of manure being deposited in front of the government building (archived here).
The police announced via Twitter on March 7, 2024, that they arrested a man attempting to climb the fence outside the government premises on that day (archived here). Czech Daily newspaper Prazsky Denik also reported an incident where an ambulance was called to assist an intoxicated individual attempting to breach the fence to reach the government building (archived here). However, apart from these occurrences, there were no reports of violence or clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators on that day. A screenshot from Prazsky Denik's report is provided below.
(Source: Prazsky Denik screenshot taken from on Tue Mar 13 08:22:23 2024 UTC)
Additional incidents from the protest were also reported, including a tractor causing an accident in a nearby tunnel after driving on the wrong side of the road (archived here), and police apprehending an individual who scattered a pile of manure onto the street (archived here).
Jan Danek, a police spokesman (archived here), informed Lead Stories during a telephone conversation on March 12, 2024, that the individual attempting to climb the fence showed signs of intoxication and disregarded police instructions, resulting in his arrest. Due to complaints of pain in his limbs, he was taken to an ambulance for medical attention. Danek clarified that the individual, who was under the influence of alcohol, was handled with care by the police and was not subjected to physical assault.
