Protestsupdated 18m ago3 min read
Tens of thousands Protest In Prague Over Andrej Babiš Plan To Change Public Media Funding
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Protesters in Prague rallied against replacing license fee with state-funded public media. Critics say the reform would erode media independence and enable political control.
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Prague rally over funding
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Czech capital of Prague to protest proposed changes to the funding of public service media, with many assembling in Letna Park on Sunday afternoon. The government of billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis wants to replace the current monthly fee of 205 crowns with funding from the state budget, and critics fear the shift could weaken broadcaster independence. Opponents said the change would stifle media freedom by making outlets more dependent on the state, while the government insisted the plan would not affect editorial independence or programme content.
“Many of the protesters assembled in Letna Park in Prague on Sunday afternoon.”
Parliament passed a preliminary vote in parliament and awaited further debate, and broadcast workers had been striking against the proposal since June. The Million Moments for Democracy group organised Sunday’s demonstration and said “Babis and his government obviously think they will get away with anything… that they can ignore experts, silence critics and treat democratic institutions like their property.”
Crowd size and voices
The BBC said Sunday’s protest was organised by the Million Moments for Democracy association and described the turnout as “roughly 400,000,” while it also said the gathering was being described as the largest protest since the Czech Republic's independence in 1993. Mikuláš Minár, the principal organizer of One Million Moments for Democracy, told Cadena 3 that the rally drew about 350,000 people, and he said, “We are witnessing something extraordinary here today,”. Some protesters wore pointed hats folded out of newspapers as a tribute to an animated character, Večerníček, who has introduced Czech Television's nightly children’s bedtime stories for decades.
Pensioner Milana Rudolfova, 72, told Reuters news agency, “I know that our entire Czech Television is a guarantee of truth and objectivity,” and she added, “If we do not have public television and radio then unfortunately we will not be able to believe anything anymore.” Reporters Without Borders said Pavol Szalai, Prague Bureau director, argued in June that “Political attacks against private and public media have become one of the hallmarks of Andrej Babis' premiership.”
Bill, strikes, and stakes
Cadena 3 said the governing coalition pressed ahead with the plan in the lower house of Parliament on October 24, and it said lawmakers limited the opposition’s speaking time before voting at 4:36 a.m. to advance the bill in the first of three parliamentary readings. Cadena 3 added that public media employees went on strike on November 3, and it said the strike was backed by unions, universities, students, churches, artists, athletes, and international media organizations. EU Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath told the European Parliament that national legislation must ensure that public service funding is based on transparent and objective criteria and that it ensures “adequate, sustainable, and predictable financial resources.”
The Guardian said the Million Moments for Democracy group warned that “Babis and his government obviously think they will get away with anything … that they can ignore experts, silence critics and treat democratic institutions like their property,” and it said organisers estimated 350,000 people at Letná Plain. Babiš promised to press ahead with the plan despite protests and denied that it would affect press freedom, while the protest movement demanded the government drop its plan and expressed concern that Babiš and his coalition partners pose a threat to democracy.