Thousands of Czechs gathered in the capital on Sunday to protest Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government plan to overhaul the funding of public broadcasting, a move critics say threatens its independence.
According to Ukrinform, this is reported by the AP.
The protesters gathered in front of the Czech public television offices in Prague to voice their support for the media a day before their staffers plan to go on a warning strike and after recent protest marches in the regional capitals and Prague.
According to a plan approved by the government on Monday, public radio and television would be funded from the state budget starting next year, instead of through fees paid by individuals, households, and businesses.
Critics argue that the changes would allow the three-party coalition government to gain control over the media, following the example of populist governments in Hungary under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and in Slovakia under Prime Minister Robert Fico.
