PRAGUE — An estimated 200,000 demonstrators filled Prague’s streets Saturday in a massive show of opposition to Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his government’s controversial direction.
The peaceful gathering took place at Letná park, a location with deep historical significance as the site of major demonstrations in 1989 that helped topple communist rule.
Demonstrators traveled from throughout the Czech Republic to voice alarm that the billionaire leader and his coalition partners pose a danger to democratic institutions, moving the nation away from Ukraine support and toward authoritarian governance.
Crowds displayed Czech flags while banners proclaimed messages like “Let’s defend democracy.”
“We’re here to clearly stand against dragging our country onto the path of Slovakia and Hungary,” declared Mikuláš Minář, chief organizer from Million Moments for Democracy, referencing those nations’ pro-Russia and authoritarian tendencies.
Babiš regained control following his ANO (YES) party’s strong showing in October elections, subsequently forming a governing alliance with the anti-immigration Freedom and Direct Democracy party and the right-wing Motorists for Themselves.
This partnership with groups holding extreme positions has enabled the administration to dramatically reshape both international and domestic policy approaches.
The prime minister has challenged major European Union environmental and immigration initiatives while refusing Ukrainian financial assistance and rejecting guarantees for EU loans to the war-torn nation, aligning himself with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Critics warn that proposed legislation mirrors Russian foreign agent laws, requiring nonprofit organizations and individuals engaged in broadly defined political activities who receive international funding to register or face substantial penalties.
“This law can easily be used to restrict personal freedom,” former Academy of Sciences director Václav Pačes told demonstrators.
Additional government plans include restructuring public broadcasting funding, which opponents argue would place state media under government influence.
Rally organizers cited parliament’s recent decision to maintain Babiš’s immunity from prosecution in a $2 million fraud case involving EU subsidies as motivation for the demonstration.
Parliamentary approval would have enabled immediate court proceedings, but the rejection means prosecution cannot occur until his legislative term concludes in 2029.
Legislators similarly blocked efforts to allow prosecution of lower house Speaker Tomio Okamura, who leads the Freedom party, on hate speech charges.
Million Moments characterized these decisions as creating two distinct groups: “the ordinary people and the untouchables.”
“I came to defend something that is extremely important to me,” explained Michael Černohlávek, a 19-year-old student. “I know that the system we have, our freedom, can’t be taken for granted and it is important for me to protect it.”
Additional demonstrations are scheduled to follow.
