Tens of thousands protest in Prague against Czech governments public broadcaster funding plan

Tens of thousands of protesters filled Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Sunday night to oppose the radical-right Czech government’s plan to strip the country’s public broadcaster of its independent funding model, replacing mandatory licence fees with direct state budget allocations. The demonstration, which drew crowds estimated at 30,000 by local police, followed a 24-hour warning strike staged by journalists and technicians at Czech Television (ČT) and Czech Radio (ČRo) on Saturday. Employees walked out after Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s cabinet tabled legislation that would abolish the monthly broadcast fee and replace it with annual budget allocations subject to parliamentary vote, a move critics say would expose the outlets to political interference .

The strike paralysed live news and cultural programming, with ČT’s flagship evening news broadcast replaced by a looped slide reading “Public media on strike.” Union leaders warned that the bill, expected to reach the lower house on Wednesday, would turn the broadcaster into “a government mouthpiece.” “This is not about money; it is about control,” said Alena Bušová, chair of the ČT journalists’ union. “If the budget replaces the fee, every prime minister can decide tomorrow whether we cover corruption scandals or ignore them.” The government argues the change will save households roughly 220 koruna (€9) a year and modernise funding, but coalition partners have already signalled unease, with the mayor of Prague, Bohuslav Svoboda, calling the plan “a step toward Orbanisation” .

Across Central Europe, the Czech crisis has reignited debates about media independence. In Hungary, where public broadcasters were fully absorbed into state control in 2010, the opposition Democratic Coalition accused Babiš of “copying Viktor Orbán’s playbook.” Hungarian public television employees staged solidarity protests outside the Czech embassy in Budapest on Monday morning. “We know what happens next,” said DK MP Klára Dobrev. “First the fees go, then the editorial line bends, then the journalists leave.” The European Broadcasting Union, which groups 116 public-service media organisations, has urged Prague to withdraw the bill, warning it would breach the European Convention on Human Rights .

Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, actor and director Thijs Römer faced protests outside the Stadsschouwburg theatre where his new play opened on Sunday. Demonstrators held signs reading “Abuse is not a business model,” a reference to Römer’s 2023 conviction for sexual assault. Police reported “serious threats” and arrested two individuals for public-order offences. The theatre said it would review security measures but insisted the show would continue. Römer has not publicly commented since the verdict .