More than 200,000 p protested on Saturday in the in Prague, Czech Republic, to defend democratic values and civic engagement while pushing back against media pressure, defense cuts and the erosion of state institutions there. Photo by Martin Divisek/EPA
March 21 (UPI) — More than 200,000 people protested the Czech government on Saturday over their government’s alliances and policies amid concerns about democratic backsliding.
Organizers of Saturday’s rally in Prague said they were protesting Prime Minister Andrej Babis’ government as it has aligned itself with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico as it looks to erode press freedom and charge down an illiberal path of governing, Bloomberg and Newsweek reported.
The protest is the second since February against the government run by Babis and President Petr Pavel since they took office because of what some activists there have said are Russian-style policies that will restrict the country, Deutsche Welle reported.
“The erosion of democracy in the Czech Republic is advancing faster than we thought,” A Million Moments for Democracy, the group that organized Saturday’s protest, said in a press release.
“We will not stand by silently while oligarchs and extremists threaten the future of our country,” the organization said.
In addition to changes to public funding for media organizations, a proposal for a “foreign agent” law in the Czech Republic has raised concerns that diminish international cooperation with organizations there and give the government the ability to gain a greater level of control over humanitarian, development and human rights programs.
The media funding proposal would eliminate monthly license fees and move toward direct government funding that has raised concerns about influence from politicians.
