In Czech Republic, tram driver who forced Ukrainians off tram sentenced to 200 hours of community service
The District Court for Prague 10 found tram driver Daniel Bejvl guilty of hooliganism over an incident involving a Ukrainian family and sentenced him to 200 hours of community service.
IDNES reported this, Censor.NET writes.
The court also ordered Bejvl to complete a "social rehabilitation program." The verdict has not yet entered into force and may be appealed.
Prosecutors initially charged the driver with disorderly conduct and insults on national grounds, for which he faced up to five months in prison. The court ultimately classified the actions as hooliganism.
Background
The incident occurred in late February last year at one of Prague’s tram stops. According to the case materials, the driver pushed three Ukrainian citizens out of the tram — an elderly couple with their grandson, insulted them, and, according to the prosecution, struck the man. The family has been living in the Czech Republic since 2022.
The conflict began after the boy put his feet on the seat and knocked on the glass partition. In court, the man explained that he had been taking the child from kindergarten in a stroller, the shoes were clean, and after the first remark, he asked his grandson not to knock anymore.
The driver, according to the victims, left his cab, began reprimanding them, accused the family of "dirtying the tram," demanded that they get off, and emphasized their nationality. Witnesses recorded the incident on video.
According to the man, other passengers urged the family to stay on the tram, but they got off because the child became frightened and started crying. After that, another scuffle nearly occurred when the man asked the woman to take a photo of the tram number.
Bejvl denies that he tried to hit anyone and claims he was only pointing his finger. Over two years of work, eight complaints from passengers were filed against him, but most of them were not confirmed. He is no longer working as a tram driver.
