In Prague, authorities are investigating a dispute involving a tram driver and a Ukrainian family.

The police and authorities in Prague are investigating an incident involving a tram driver who confronted a couple of Ukrainians and their grandson. The child allegedly soiled the seat, prompting the driver to roughly eject the family from the public transport. A video of the incident, which spread on social media, was filmed by Ukrainian refugee Myroslava Manziuk, reported the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe on February 28.

Myroslava Manziuk stated that the incident occurred at the Otakárova stop on the evening of February 27. The driver of Prague tram No. 7 rushed into the cabin and began yelling at the couple with the child. He accused them of allowing the boy to dirty the tram since he was standing on the seat and looking out the window.

According to Myroslava, the Czech driver threatened the couple, demanded they exit the tram, and claimed they had no right to be "on our land."

"Moreover, he used force against the man holding the child, a two-year-old boy. The child got scared and started crying, but the driver continued to yell and hit the victim several times. He (the driver – ed.) threatened to call the police but never did. In the end, the driver threw the people out with the child, hit them again, and yelled. Then he drove away," the eyewitness said.

The tram driver, Daniel Beivl, told Czech journalists that during the ride, he was distracted by "bangs on the glass partition, noise, shouting, jumping, and stomping." The driver reportedly politely asked the passengers not to make a mess and to take the boy off the seat; however, the man refused and began insulting the driver in Ukrainian.

The driver noted that he initially acted completely calmly, citing violations of transport conditions and his right to remove them from the vehicle.

"The whole situation ended with me losing my temper and, as seen in the video, saying what you saw. This is undoubtedly my mistake," Beivl stated.

He denied hitting the 63-year-old passenger with the child in his arms, claiming he only pointed him toward the exit.

In an interview with the Czech publication Vinegret.cz, the boy's father revealed that the video featured his parents, who were taking their two-year-old grandson home.

"My parents were taking the child home, and the driver didn't like that he was standing on the seat and looking out the window, even though my dad showed that the shoes were clean and immediately picked the child up," the father said.

He explained that he has been living in Prague for a long time, his wife is Czech, and their son has Czech citizenship. According to journalists, the boy's grandparents came to the Czech Republic after the start of the full-scale war.

The police and Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan have already responded to the tram incident. The latter stated that he was unaware of the conflict's background but described "this as an act of aggression from the driver, especially in the presence of a small child, not to mention the dispute over nationality."

The Czech police reported that they are currently investigating all circumstances surrounding the incident. Law enforcement is leaning towards classifying the incident as a crime against the coexistence of citizens.

The Prague transport company announced that it is conducting an internal investigation into the incident involving the driver of tram route No. 7.

The national coordinator for refugee integration in the Czech Republic, Klára Šimáčková-Laurenčíková, stated that the driver's behavior is absolutely unacceptable and immoral, and this incident is a "vivid manifestation of biased violence."

The Ukrainian Embassy in the Czech Republic also responded to the tram incident and contacted the police and transport company. The agency condemned the driver's actions and emphasized that it is keeping the situation under special control.