Prague Old Town Square protest to defend Czech TV and Czech Radio

The Million Moments movement has urged people to come to Prague’s Old Town Square on Sunday at 4 pm for a protest against abolishing the fees for Czech Television and Czech Radio. It is a response to the decision by government MPs to put a bill changing the funding of both public broadcasters at the top of Friday’s session agenda.

The bill would abolish the television and radio fees and move the funding of Czech Television and Czech Radio into the state budget. The movement called it “an incredible dirty trick” and said a battle over the nationalisation of television and radio had begun.

“We will meet at four o’clock on Old Town Square, and I believe it will be bursting at the seams, with thousands of people coming from all over the country,” said the movement’s chairman Mikuláš Minář in a Facebook video on Friday evening, adding that this is only the beginning. Earlier on Friday the movement had already announced the protest and devoted several posts to the topic. “Every single person will count now. The battle for public media has begun,” Million Moments said.

Why MPs are accused of rushing

The authors recalled that MPs voted to continue debating the fees on an extraordinary basis even on Saturday. “Do you know what that means? That they have completely run wild,” the post says. The Chamber of Deputies was due to take up the amendment only in November. The change to Friday’s agenda surprised not only the opposition but also some MPs from the governing side.

Million Moments also responded to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), who confirmed that the coalition wants to push the change through and linked its critics to the “abuse” of the 17 November celebrations. “Mr Babiš, we won’t just hand you the media or 17 November! We see that Andrej Babiš has not come to terms with defeat and has resorted to radical steps. And he is taking revenge. Be ready. We won’t stay at home,” the movement wrote.

Strike at Czech Television and Czech Radio

The “Veřejnoprávně” initiative, which represents employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio, announced on Friday afternoon in front of the Czech Radio building on Prague’s Vinohradská street that a one-day strike will take place on Tuesday, 3 November, at Czech Television and Czech Radio. According to its representatives, the governing coalition fears the public’s reaction. They also warned of consequences for the state budget.

The last time Million Moments held a protest against Babiš’s current government was this year on Czech Statehood Day, 28 September, on Prague’s Old Town Square.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz