Letná rally in Prague on 15 November: how to get there and why

On Sunday, 15 November at 2 pm, Prague’s Letná plain will host a demonstration in defence of the independence of Czech Television and Czech Radio. The organiser is the Milion chvilek pro demokracii initiative. It expects an exceptionally high turnout and aims to hold the largest public gathering in the history of the Czech Republic.

The event follows the 25 October demonstration, when tens of thousands of people filled Old Town Square.

How to get to Letná

Because of the expected turnout, service on all Prague metro lines will be stepped up on Sunday from about 11:30 am to 7 pm. Organisers advise walking and arriving early.

The nearest metro station is Hradčanská (line A), about a 10-minute walk away. From Vltavská (line C) it takes roughly 25 to 30 minutes on foot. Organisers recommend that those coming from Hradčanská use both Milady Horákové street and the parallel Na Valech street to avoid unnecessary crowding. Trams 1, 8, 12, 25 and 26 run to the Sparta stop, the closest to the plain; the transport company will also add special lines 40 and 44. Expect crowded vehicles and possible delays or restrictions.

What the protest is about

The main theme is the defence of the independence of Czech Television and Czech Radio. The organisers demand that the bill changing their funding be withdrawn and that the way it was handled in the Chamber of Deputies be apologised for, and they want an open discussion with representatives of the governing coalition. In their view, the government’s approach is part of a broader weakening of democratic safeguards: they also see the independent judiciary, culture, the security services, civil society and nature protection as under threat.

The coalition of ANO, SPD and Motoristé is pushing to abolish TV and radio licence fees; under the bill, both broadcasters would be funded from the state budget. The bill has passed its first reading, but the final funding model remains open: according to Minister Boris Šťastný, the coalition parties will keep negotiating it before the second reading, expected in early 2027. Funding from the state budget does not in itself mean a loss of independence — it depends on statutory guarantees, such as a predictable calculation of the contribution and protection against arbitrary cuts.

The night vote and the police action

The name “Letná proti 4:36” refers to Saturday, 24 October, when Chamber speaker Tomio Okamura decided in advance that the debate would end at 4:36 am and a vote would follow, after which the coalition moved the bill to a second reading. The coalition set the total debate time at nine hours and limited rank-and-file deputies to 20 minutes each, so some of those who had signed up to speak did not get the floor. The opposition criticised this as a restriction of debate, while the coalition justified it as a way to prevent obstruction.

The night of 23 to 24 October also drew criticism, when guards removed eight people from the Chamber’s gallery and made some of them kneel. After a review, the police considered the removal itself justified and proportionate, but the order to kneel disproportionate.

About the organiser

Milion chvilek pro demokracii is a civic initiative that emerged at the turn of 2017 and 2018; its chairman is Mikuláš Minář. It is funded by voluntary donations through a transparent account. Its largest event was the gathering on Letná on 23 June 2019, which, according to the organisers, drew around 250,000 people. They reported a comparable turnout on 21 March 2026, too: 200,000 to 250,000.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz