Thousands of people took to the streets in the Czech Republic to protest in support of independent media
This was reported by České noviny.
On Tuesday, 5 May, a mass rally in support of public media took place in the Czech Republic. Thousands of people gathered in Old Town Square in Prague to protest against the government’s planned changes to the funding of public broadcasters.
The rally, entitled “Hands off the media”, began at 17:30.
During the rally, Mikuláš Minář, chairman of the “A Million Moments for Democracy” association, and the organisation’s representative, Mariana Novotná Nachtigallová, called for the withdrawal of the bill, which they described as a “draft law on the nationalisation of public media”.
They also demanded an end to attempts to exert political influence over Czech Television and Czech Radio.
After the speeches, the demonstrators marched to the Czech Radio building on Vinohradská Street.
During the demonstration, supporters of public media carried placards bearing the slogans “Free media”, “Independence has a price”, and “Unfree media = an unfree country”.
What the changes entail
The protests are linked to government proposals for changes to the law on public media.
On 22 April, the Czech Radio staff union announced a strike in the Czech Republic over these proposals.
The draft bill, tabled by the Minister of Culture, provides for a cut of 1.4 billion crowns in 2027 to media organisations receiving funding from the budget.
It is this decision that critics view as a threat to public broadcasters and their independence.
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