Students protested in Prague and six other Czech cities in defense of public media, culture and higher education. The demonstrations were directed against the government coalition’s plan to abolish radio and television license fees and transfer the funding of Czech Television and Czech Radio to the state budget.
In Prague, marches from several university campuses gathered at Republic Square at 4:36 p.m. Students from the Czech Technical University, the University of Chemistry and Technology, the Czech University of Life Sciences, Charles University, the Prague University of Economics and Business and art academies took part in the action. According to the organizers, around 4,000 people attended, while the Czech News Agency estimated the crowd at several hundred people.
There were also protests in Brno, Pilsen, Olomouc, Ostrava, Pardubice and Zlín. Around 300 students gathered in Brno, and approximately 200 in Pilsen. The participants held up slogans in defense of independent public radio and television and called for more sustainable funding for universities and scientific research.
Students demand withdrawal of bill
The protesters called on the government to withdraw the proposal to abolish the fees and begin a new professional discussion involving the affected institutions. In Prague, an open letter with 2,317 signatures was submitted, expressing concern about the future independence of public radio and television.
“As students, we want to live in a society where we can freely receive verified and independent information. We want to be educated, and without information this is not possible,” said Václav Holuša from the organizing student initiative.
The participants also called for the resignation of Culture Minister Oto Klempíř. Student representatives criticized the lack of transparency and the government’s unwillingness to hold an expert discussion on the change.
Government defends the change
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said that the coalition would not withdraw the proposal, but that its text would be discussed further. The governing parties claim that abolishing the fees fulfills an election promise and that the model in which citizens pay directly for public media is used in a minority of European countries.
The opposition and students object that dependence on the state budget could increase political pressure on the editorial work of Czech Television and Czech Radio. Employees of both media outlets have already held a one-day strike on November 3. At the Prague protest, Charles University Rector Jiří Zima said he supported the students’ right to speak on public issues and pointed out that higher education needs an additional 11 billion korunas.
Sources: ct24.ceskatelevize.cz, cnn.iprima.cz, expats.cz