Czech President Vaclav Klaus has lashed out at the ambassadors of 13 countries who joined in a petition to support a gay pride festival in Prague.

Mr. Klaus said Monday that he considered a statement by the Prague-based ambassadors “an unprecedented step.” He added that he could not imagine any Czech ambassador daring to use a petition to influence a political discussion in any democratic country.

The ambassadors' statement expressed “solidarity” with the Czech Republic's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. It also supported their right “to use the occasion to march together peacefully and lawfully, in order to raise awareness of the specific issues that affect them.'' The gay pride festival opens Wednesday.

President Klaus also supported remarks made by his aide, Petr Hajek, last week. Hajek called the parade an example of the monster of multiculturalism, in which he said “sexual or any other deviation is elevated to virtue.”

The statement of support was signed by the ambassadors to the Czech Republic from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.