Calls to defend public media as Letná protest draws large crowds

Large crowds gathered on Prague’s Letná plain on Saturday for a protest organized by Million Moments for Democracy, with attendance estimated by the organizers at between 200,000 and 250,000 people. Public transport to the site was crowded, volunteers helped direct arrivals, and police described the event as largely peaceful, detaining one man who had fired airsoft guns from a nearby window.

Speakers sharply criticized the government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) and warned of democratic backsliding. Calls to defend public service media were a central theme, with concerns over planned changes including the abolition of licence fees for Czech Television and Czech Radio.

Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists) said Democracy in Czechia is not under threat from the government but from pressure groups unwilling to accept the outcome of free elections. According to him, the coalition of ANO, SPD and Motorists remains stable and will not yield to opposition pressure. Macinka further dismissed the protest as a standard opposition event. He criticized its speakers and described the gathering as an “agitational action”.