Thousands Rally in Prague Against Plan to Overhaul Public Media Funding

Several thousand people gathered in Prague on Sunday to protest government plans to change how the Czech Republic's public media are funded. Demonstrators accuse the government of undermining press freedom.

Protesters called for the withdrawal of a bill that would abolish household licence fees and replace them with allocations from the state budget for public radio and television. At the rally in Prague's Old Town Square, the crowd chanted "We've had enough" and "This must not be allowed to pass."

Another chant, "4:36," referred to the early morning hour at which parliament approved the draft. The lower house voted to fast-track the bill in a rare overnight session on Saturday. Lawmakers from the governing coalition rushed to open the issue, which limited the opposition's ability to debate it before the vote.

The legislation was proposed by the governing coalition led by billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis. The coalition includes two far-right parties. The bill must still pass the upper house before it can become law. The opposition has pledged to challenge it in the constitutional court.

The plan would reduce funding for public media by about 15 percent, possibly as early as next year.

Babis has said the proposal is not an attack on media independence but a question of funding transparency. Critics disagree and warn that the change would let the governing coalition take control of the media. They compare the move with the actions of populist governments led by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Babis and his coalition, whose agenda includes reducing support for Ukraine as it resists a Russian invasion, have a record of attacks against the media.

Opposition to the bill extends beyond the street. Public media staff have announced a strike for November 3. They have the backing of labour unions, university rectors, churches, international media organisations and many others.

A further rally is planned for Prague's Letna park on November 15. That date falls two days before the anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution, the anti-communist uprising that ended more than 40 years of totalitarian government.