More than 350,000 citizens gathered on Sunday in Prague, Czech Republic, in one of the largest protests in the country’s history. The mass rally opposed the government’s plan to change the way public media are funded.
Protesters oppose the abolition of the mandatory fee that funds public television and radio. They warn that moving funding to the state budget could give the government more influence over the editorial independence of the media.
The demonstration took place in Letná Square, a symbolic site of the 1989 Velvet Revolution. Protesters carried banners with messages such as “We will not hand the media over to anyone” and “Hands off the media,” as well as paper hats inspired by the character Večerníček, a symbol of the protest.
The government’s media plan has been sharply criticized by international organizations such as the European Broadcasting Union, the European Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the International Press Institute. They compared it to the controversial moves of Robert Fico and Viktor Orbán.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has rejected the accusations, stating that the government does not intend to interfere in the editorial work of public media.