Between 350,000 and 450,000 people took part in a protest in Prague against the planned reform of public media financing, the organizers said, as quoted by the Czech News Agency. The demonstration was held in Letná Park at the call of the civic movement “A Million Moments for Democracy.”
The Czech police have not released their own estimate of the number of participants. A police spokesperson clarified that the authorities do not generally provide such figures. According to the Czech News Agency, the stated number would make the rally the largest in the country since the Velvet Revolution of 1989, which led to the democratic transition in Czechoslovakia.
Protesters carried signs reading “Hands off the media” and “Freedom cannot be taken for granted.” People who had arrived from other Czech cities by bus and train also attended the demonstration. Due to the continuous influx of participants, public transport was halted, while stops and metro stations filled with people.
The dispute is about the budget and independence
The government, which has been in power since December 2025, is proposing that Czech Television and Czech Radio be financed directly from the state budget instead of through special public media fees. The bill has already passed its first reading in the Chamber of Deputies.
A reduction of around 15 percent in the total amount of funding is also envisaged. Critics of the reform argue that the change could place public media under stronger political control and affect programming content and personnel decisions.
“The future of our country depends on people like you,” lead organizer Mikuláš Minář told the crowd.Foreign Minister Petr Macinka of the Motorists for Themselves party, which is taking part in government for the first time, defended his critical stance toward the organizers. During a televised debate, he accused them of turning the demonstrations into a business model and asked what they had done for the citizens of the Czech Republic.
Support from students and attention from Brussels
Students and lecturers from Czech universities have already protested against the plans for change. More than 2,000 students and journalism graduates have signed an open letter expressing concern about the future of Czech Television and Czech Radio.
It was reported earlier that the European Commission is monitoring developments in the dispute. The reason is linked to the commitment of European Union member states to guarantee the independence of public media under the European Media Freedom Act.
Sources: bta.bg