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Thousands rally in Prague against Babiš plan to scrap public media licence fee
Protesters filled Old Town Square a day after the lower house fast-tracked a bill in an overnight vote that would fund Czech public radio and TV from the state budget and cut their money by about 15%.
Key points
- The bill would replace household licence fees with state budget funding for Czech public radio and TV.
- The change would cut public media funding by about 15%, possibly from next year.
- Public media staff plan to strike on 3 November; a bigger rally is set for 15 November.
Thousands of people packed Prague’s Old Town Square on Sunday to protest against a government bill that would abolish the licence fees that fund Czech public radio and television, a plan critics say would hand the ruling coalition control over the broadcasters.
The crowd chanted “We’ve had enough” and “This must not be allowed to pass” and called on Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government to withdraw the legislation.
The bill would scrap the household fees and fund public radio and television directly from the state budget instead, cutting their money by about 15%, possibly as early as next year. In a rare overnight sitting, the lower house approved fast-tracking it at 4:36 am on Saturday, leaving the opposition little time to debate. It still has to pass the upper house, and the opposition has said it will challenge the law in the Constitutional Court.
Babiš, a billionaire who leads a coalition that includes two far-right parties, has said the plan is about transparency in funding and not an attack on media independence. Opponents compare it with moves by Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Robert Fico in Slovakia.
Staff at the public broadcasters plan to strike on 3 November, with backing from trade unions, university rectors, churches and international media organisations. A larger rally is planned at Letná park in Prague for 15 November, two days before the anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution.