Thousands of people gathered in Czech Republic capital Prague on Sunday to protest against thec government’s plans to overhaul the funding of public television and radio, warning that the changes could undermine media independence and expose broadcasters to political pressure.The demonstration in the historic Old Town Square and surrounding streets followed an overnight vote in the lower house of parliament that advanced legislation to abolish licence fees paid by households and businesses and replace them with direct funding from the state budget.The bill, backed by Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s governing coalition, received initial approval in the early hours of Saturday after lawmakers moved it unexpectedly onto the agenda and curtailed debate. The legislation is now at the committee stage and must clear further parliamentary votes, including approval by the upper house, before becoming law.
Why are Czechs protesting?
The proposed reform would cut funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio by around 15 per cent, potentially from next year. Critics argue that replacing licence fees with allocations from the state budget would make public broadcasters more vulnerable to political interference.Protesters accused the government of pushing through the changes without adequate public scrutiny. Demonstrators chanted slogans including “We’ve had enough” and “Resignation”, demanding that the draft be withdrawn and that the government allow a thorough public debate.Meanwhile, Babis has rejected suggestions that the plan threatens media independence, saying it is intended to improve transparency in funding.The proposal has drawn criticism from opposition parties and international media organisations, which have called for greater scrutiny of the legislation. Some opponents have compared the plans with changes introduced in Hungary under former prime minister Viktor Orban, whose government oversaw an expansion of pro-government media, and reforms in Slovakia under Prime Minister Robert Fico.The European Broadcasting Union, Reporters Without Borders, the International Press Institute and the European Federation of Journalists are among the organisations that have raised concerns. The European Broadcasting Union and 15 other groups also called for further debate and warned against measures that could threaten the broadcasters’ financial sustainability.Czech President Petr Pavel has called for greater expert scrutiny, saying the country was among the few in central and eastern Europe where public-service and private media systems worked well.On the other hand, Mikulas Minar, a leading organiser from the Million Moments for Democracy group, told the crowd, “You’ve gone too far, we won’t let this country be destroyed.” He also criticised the timing of the parliamentary vote, saying, “It is mafia syndicates or the Soviet Politburo who make decisions at 4:36.”For some protesters, the proposed changes evoked memories of the country’s history of state control over broadcasting.Milan Kotal, a 94-year-old demonstrator, said: “In my lifetime there have already been two state takeovers of our television in Prague: once by the Nazis during the war and then by the Communists until 1989.”“Today the government is allowing itself things we cannot accept,” he added.Public media employees have announced plans to go on strike on November 3, while organisers have called a larger rally at Prague’s Letna Park on November 15, two days before the anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution that ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia.Public broadcasters remain an important source of news in the country. Czech Television is the country’s most-watched broadcaster across major age groups, while public media rank among the most trusted news sources, according to a 2025 Reuters Institute survey.