Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis was attacked with a walking stick during a rally in Dobra, eastern Czechia, on Monday. The incident occurred as he campaigned for the October parliamentary elections.
The assault took place in the village of Dobra, where Babis was meeting supporters ahead of the October parliamentary election. According to ANO spokesman Martin Vodicka, an assailant struck Babis in the head from behind with a “metal object.” ANO MP Zuzana Ozanova, however, told the website iDENS.cz that the politician was hit with a walking stick. Police said the attacker, who has not been identified, was detained at the scene. His motives remain unclear.
Babis was taken to a hospital for tests and later discharged. “Thank you all for your support. I hope I’ll be fine. Tomorrow I’ll be waiting for further assessment of the examination results, but for now the doctors have recommended that I rest,” he wrote on X. He canceled a similar trip planned for Tuesday.
ANO deputy leader Alena Schillerova blamed the attack on “hatred spread by the ruling parties on billboards and social media.”
“This is a direct consequence of their campaign based on fear and division,” she wrote on X.
Babis, who served as prime minister from 2,017 to 2021, has opposed sending weapons to Ukraine and argued that the conflict between Moscow and Kiev should be resolved through diplomacy. He has denied accusations of spreading “Russian narratives.”