Thousands gathered in Prague on Sunday in a demonstration against planned changes to public broadcaster financing, with protesters warning that the reform could weaken media independence in the Czech Republic.
The rally took place outside the headquarters of Czech public television, with participants later marching through parts of the city carrying banners reading “Hands off public media.” The protest was organized by the civic group Million Moments for Democracy, which has repeatedly opposed government media policy. “The media don't belong to politicians,” said organizer Mikuláš Minář. “They belong to us all and we won't allow them to be stolen from us.” Demonstrations were cut short due to an ongoing heatwave affecting large parts of Europe.
At the center of the dispute is a government-approved overhaul that would shift funding for public radio and television from license fees paid by households and businesses to direct financing from the state budget starting next year. Under the plan, overall funding would be reduced by around 15 percent compared with the current year, with public broadcasters warning this would likely force significant staff reductions, including hundreds of job cuts.
