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On November 17th, on Prague’s Old Town Square, several thousand people gathered in the afternoon for a demonstration organised by Million Moments for Democracy, called ‘Let’s Remain the Democratic Heart of Europe’. Ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections, the organisers and participants want to warn the general public about the rise of authoritarian politicians, pointing to the political developments that have taken place in Slovakia and Hungary.

Singer David Koller performed at the demonstration, and a video greeting was sent by the former Slovak president, Zuzana Čaputová. The Million Moments organisation was founded after the parliamentary elections in 2017, which were won by the ANO movement, led by later Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. During subsequent protests, the movement criticised Babiš for not keeping pre-election promises and for conflicts of interest, and demanded his resignation.

At 1 pm, around two hundred people gathered in front of the National Museum in Prague, to show their disagreement with the Ukrainian flag displayed outside the building, and with the government's programme of support for the country currently under attack from Russia. The protest was called by activist Ladislav Vrabel, founder of the political party ‘Czech Republic in First Place!’. Vrabel announced to the assembled supporters that after the speeches he wanted to go to Národní Street, where today people are commemorating the thirty-fifth anniversary of the fall of the communist regime.

Communist Josef Skála and teacher Martina Bednářová, who faced charges of denying Russian war crimes in Ukraine, also spoke at the event. A pro-Ukrainian group also attended to voice their opposition. Police have been present and monitoring the situation. Five people have been detained for misdemeanors.

Mobis Automotive Czech, a car-part manufacturer in Nošovice in the Frýdek-Místek District, which supplies modules to the Hyundai car company, saw sales of products and services increase by 15.33 billion crowns in 2023, to 58.74 billion crowns. The company's net profit increased year-on-year by 109.3 million, almost a fifth, to 681.9 million crowns.

CEO Sangwon Kang said that the company gradually reduced the cost of electricity, gas, fuel and certain raw materials last year. Mobis focuses on the assembly of complete automotive modules and battery systems, which it delivers to the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech plant in Nošovice. The company had an average of 1,485 employees in 2023. Mobis products are part of all cars manufactured in Nošovice. The company belongs to the Korean company Hyundai Mobis.

November 17th is the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, the events of 1989 by which Czechoslovakia transitioned from a one-party communist state to a democratic and capitalist society. The day has been marked with memorials, concerts and demonstrations across the country, with a particular focus being Prague’s Národní Street, the central thoroughfare where a student protest on this day sparked the revolution. The day also commemorates 85 years since the Nazi closure of Czech universities, an event that inspired the protests of 1989 fifty years later.

People have been gathering on Národní Street since the early morning to remember the events of November 1989. President Pavel visited to pay his respects, as did Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, Mayor of Prague Bohuslav Svoboda, and Andrej Babiš, leader of the opposition ANO party. The day has also involved an anti-government protest on Wenceslas Square, and a demonstration by the Million Moments for Democracy movement on Old Town Square. In the evening, the non-profit organisation Post Bellum will hand out its annual Memory of the Nation awards.