PRAGUE — Tens of thousands of people protested in Prague this weekend against the policies and plans of the new Czech government led by populist, anti-immigrant Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
The protesters from across the Czech Republic attended the peaceful demonstration Saturday at Letna Park, the scene of huge gatherings in 1989 during the Velvet Revolution that ushered in democracy after decades of communist authoritarianism.
They came to express their concerns that Babiš, a billionaire sometimes called the Czech Donald Trump, and his coalition Cabinet are a threat to democracy, steering the country away from supporting Ukraine and back toward an autocratic path.
People in the crowd, which organizers estimated at 200,000, were waving Czech national flags. One of the banners on display read: “Let’s defend democracy.”
“We’re here to clearly stand against dragging our country onto the path of Slovakia and Hungary,” said Mikuláš Minář, the head organizer from the Million Moments for Democracy group, referring to the pro-Russia and autocratic leanings of those two countries.
Babiš returned to power in the Czech Republic after his ANO movement — “ano” means “yes” in Czech — won big in the October election and formed a coalition with two small political groups, the Freedom and Direct Democracy anti-migrant party and the right-wing Motorists for Themselves.
In his new alliance with the groups, some of whose views are considered extreme, the government began to significantly redefine the nation’s foreign and domestic policies.
Babiš has opposed some key European Union policies on environment and migration and rejected any financial aid for Ukraine and guarantees for European Union loans to the country fighting the Russian invasion, joining the ranks of Prime Ministers Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Robert Fico of Slovakia.
The new government is preparing a bill that critics say is inspired by a Russian law on foreign agents and would require nongovernmental organizations and individuals involved in vaguely defined political activity and receive foreign aid to register or face big fines.
“This law can easily be used to restrict personal freedom,” Václav Pačes, the former head of the Academy of Sciences, told the crowd.
Another plan on the agenda is to change the funding of public radio and television, a move many say would give the government control of the broadcasters.
Organizers said that they decided to hold the rally after a recent decision by the lower house of Parliament to reject a motion to lift the immunity from prosecution of Babiš in a $2-million fraud case involving EU subsidies.
Approval would have allowed a court to issue a verdict anytime soon, but the rejection of the motion means that he can stand trial only after his term in the house expires in 2029.
Lawmakers also refused to agree to allow for the prosecution of lower house Speaker Tomio Okamura, the head of the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, on charges of inciting hatred.
The Million Moments for Democracy group said that those decisions divide the nation into two categories: “the ordinary people and the untouchables.”
“I came to defend something that is extremely important to me,” said 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.”
More protests are planned to follow.
Janicek writes for the Associated Press.
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