The Dutch queen unveils a bell made from Russian weapons to show solidarity with Ukraine

PRAGUE (AP) — Queen Maxima of the Netherlands handed over a bell made partly from Russian weapons to a church in the Czech Republic on Thursday in a sign of solidarity with Ukraine.

Known as the Bell of Freedom, it was manufactured by the Dutch Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry that used fragments of artillery shells and other weapons fired by Russia against Ukraine.

“This bell has a lot of symbolism in it and it’s a very special project for us,” the owner of the bell foundry, Joost Eijsbouts, told the Czech public radio. “To use material designed for violence and turn it into something peaceful is a good idea.”

The bell will be installed in the tower of the Church of the Holy Saviour in Prague, in place of one of the original bells that were seized by the Austro-Hungarian army and turned into weapons during World War I.

The Czech Republic and the Netherlands support Ukraine in its fight against Russian troops.

The ceremony at the church, attended by Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva, was meant to be one of the highlights of the Dutch royal couple's stay in Prague. But King Willem-Alexander had to cut short the trip and returned home late Wednesday due to the collapse of the Dutch government.

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands talks to priest monsieur Tomas Halik, during a blessing ceremony for a bell that was made from weapons used in Ukraine's war, in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, right, and Czech Republic's first lady Eva Pavlova unveil a bell, that was made from weapons used in Ukraine's war, during a blessing ceremony in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, left, and Czech Republic's President Petr Pavel with his wife Eva Pavlova, attend a blessing ceremony for a bell that was made from weapons used in Ukraine's war, in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, center, and Czech Republic's President Petr Pavel with his wife Eva Pavlova arrive for a blessing ceremony for a bell that was made from weapons used in Ukraine's war, in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, right, and Czech Republic's first lady Eva Pavlova unveil a bell, that was made from weapons used in Ukraine's war, during a blessing ceremony in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

State Sen. Dan McKeon tearfully announced his resignation from the Nebraska Legislature on Tuesday ahead of scheduled debate to expel him from the body after accusations that he made a sexually charged comment to a legislative staffer and touched her inappropriately during a session-end party last year.

McKeon, a Republican from rural south-central Nebraska who had served only a year before his resignation, announced his resignation and apologized on the legislative floor just minutes before debate that would certainly have included harsh condemnation of McKeon.

“My words and actions were careless, regardless of the intent,” McKeon said. “I accept my responsibility for the impact of my words and my actions.”

“This past year has humbled me. It requires reflection, listening and learning. Accountability is not only acknowledging my mistake but committing to grow from it. I take that responsibility seriously,” McKeon said, his voice cracking.

His demeanor was a departure from what many of his fellow lawmakers found to be a defiant and flippant attitude toward the accusations leading up to his resignation. McKeon's exit came a day after the 10-member Executive Board, the body's governing board, voted unanimously to forward a motion to expel McKeon to the full Legislature for a vote.

The unprecedented move followed a complaint from the staffer who works for another lawmaker that McKeon approached her and another aide during a May 29 party and engaged in small talk about everyone's vacation plans. The woman said McKeon told her she should “get laid” on her vacation and patted her on her buttocks. McKeon has countered that he “made a bad pun," telling the woman she and her spouse should “go to Hawaii and enjoy a Hawaiian lei,” according to McKeon's attorney.

McKeon also countered that he patted the staffer on the back and may have accidentally brushed her rear end, but insists that if he did, it was unintentional.

McKeon's departure comes as more attention has focused on sexual harassment within state legislatures nationwide — including in Nebraska. The accusations against McKeon came about 15 months after the body was thrown in chaos when another Republican state lawmaker, former Sen. Steve Halloran, read a graphic account of rape from a bestselling memoir on the floor of the Legislature in which he repeatedly invoked the name of a fellow lawmaker, making it appear as if that lawmaker was the subject of the assault.

An outside investigation found that Halloran had violated the body’s workforce sexual harassment policy, and the Legislature's governing Executive Board issued him a letter of reprimand. But that action was met with strong criticism from several lawmakers who said Halloran should have faced a censure vote by the full body. Halloran left office in January 2025 due to term limits.

This time around, the Executive Board took a harder stance after a several lawmakers and another outside investigation found that McKeon had a history of making inappropriate comments and jokes during his time in the Legislature. The investigator also found that McKeon ignored a directive by the Executive Board's chairman not to attend events where staffers would be, showing up that same day at another party attended by the woman who filed the complaint against him.

The investigator also found that a text McKeon sent to another staffer who shares an office with the woman, in which he said she “seems to be difficult to work with,” could constitute retaliation against her.

The report determined that McKeon’s conduct did not rise to a level of sexual harassment or retaliation actionable under state or federal discrimination law, but that it did violate the Nebraska Legislature’s workplace harassment policy.

McKeon becomes at least the 57th state lawmaker in the nation to leave office via expulsion or resignation since 2017 following sexual misconduct allegations.

He also faces a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace after a Nebraska State Patrol investigation into his interaction with the staffer last May. McKeon has pleaded not guilty to that charge and is set to appear in court on Jan. 26.

State sen. Daniel McKeon sits during the first day of Nebraska's 2026 legislative session, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Neb. (Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

State Sen. Daniel McKeon takes notes during the first day of Nebraska's 2026 legislative session, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Neb. (Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via AP)