Czech pranksters who hacked into pubcaster Czech TV to superimpose an image of a mushroom cloud over a pastoral shot of the Krkonose mountains during a weather forecast have won the backing of local academics.
Staff at Prague’s Charles University have gathered more than 3,500 signatures on a petition calling for an end to criminal prosecution of artists collective, Ztohoven.
There’s been no response as yet from Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, who has been asked to pardon the group.
Seven members of the internationally lauded Ztohoven are slated to appear in court March 25, facing sentences of up to three years for scaremongering.
The academics said in a statement, “The image introduced onto the broadcast was so absurd that it is impossible to regard it as scaremongering.”
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