Andrej Babiš apologizes for picking flowers in protected area

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has issued a public apology after being filmed picking flowers in a protected area on Lysá hora, the highest peak in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids. Babiš, accompanied by ministers Aleš Juchelka and Karel Havlíček during a pre-election hike, stated that he picked the flowers to honor the memory of a deceased colleague from the ANO party.

While Babiš expressed concern that he might have broken the law and offered to pay a fine, environmental experts consulted by local media suggest no violation occurred. Experts noted that the plants collected—narrow-leaf willow and Fuchs' ragwort—are common species not subject to strict protection, making legal sanctions unlikely.

The incident has sparked significant social media debate in the Czech Republic. Some users have compared the Prime Minister's conduct to previous hikes by President Petr Pavel, while others have turned the footage into internet memes and remixes.