Czech Finance Minister: Activists must leave Klinika building

Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babiš has tweeted this evening that the Prague building in which activists are running the Autonomous Social Center Klinika is in poor condition and that by law they must vacate the premises. Babiš also met with the Mayor of Prague 3, Vladislava Hujová (TOP 09), who showed him complaints she had received from citizens about Klinika.

The Prague 3 Municipal Department had previously announced that about 60 people had complained about the Social Center being a source of campfires and noise. "I have met with the P3 Mayor, she showed me citizens' complaints about Klinika. The building is in poor condition - the activists must vacate the premises. The law requires it," the Finance Minister tweeted after 19:00 today.

"We offered them another building, by the way, but those running Klinika rejected that offer. There's nothing more to say," the Finance Minister added.

The Czech News Agency reported earlier in the day that activists had tweeted after a meeting at noon that the Finance Minister told them he was in favor of their remaining in the building as long as there were no complaints. The Czech News Agency reporting did not mention whether or not "another building" had been offered to the activists.

Klinika has been running programs in the building on the basis of a contract granted to them this time last year. Criticism of their use of the building escalated after they launched a collection of clothing for refugees last year.

At the beginning of February, masked perpetrators attacked the building with flares and rocks on the same day that demonstrations against migration were taking place elsewhere in Prague. Police are still investigating who was responsible for that attack.