The reconstruction of the column was rejected several times, most recently in September 2017, when city councillors suggested that it divided the people of Prague, rather than reconciling them. Opponents see the column as a symbol of post-White Mountain oppression by the Catholic Habsburg rulers. According to Prague's Mayor, Zdeněk Hřib, it represents "the promotion of one idea at the expense of another. Consequently, in principle [the column] cannot be taken in this context as a symbol of reconciliation within the framework of ecumenical harmony". According to the mayor, the column symbolizes the defeat of the idea of tolerance, which is still relevant today.