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Hundreds of thousands protest in Prague over Czech public media funding plan

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Summary

  • Hundreds of thousands rallied in Prague against the Czech government's plan to replace licence fees funding public broadcasters with state budget funding.
  • Organisers estimated 350,000 to 450,000 attended at Letná Plain; police gave no figure, and crowds overwhelmed Prague public transport.
  • The bill, passed in a first parliamentary reading, would replace the 205-crown monthly household fee and cut Czech TV and Czech Radio budgets by about 15%, critics say.
  • Prime Minister Andrej Babiš's coalition, which includes two far-right parties, says savings are needed and editorial independence will not be affected.
  • The government announced the public broadcasting reform at its inauguration in December 2025, and the bill was introduced in October 2026.

Reactions

  • Organiser Mikuláš Minář of Million Moments for Democracy told protesters, "The future of our country depends on people like you."
  • Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said no one wants to control or nationalise public media, calling the criticism hysterical lies in an op-ed on what he called the opposition's seven lies.
  • The European Broadcasting Union, European Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and International Press Institute criticised the plan, likening it to moves by Robert Fico and Viktor Orbán.
  • Million Moments for Democracy said Babiš and his government treat democratic institutions like their property and ignore experts and silence critics.
  • Czech public broadcaster employees staged a one-day strike, and artists and students boycotted state media over the proposal.
  • Czech Radio journalist Jakub Lucky said he fears the government will interfere with news reporting.

Timeline newest first

  1. On 15 November 2026, hundreds of thousands demonstrated in Prague against the Czech government's plan to change public broadcasting financing; organisers estimated 350,000 to 450,000 participants.
  2. Thousands of employees of the Czech public broadcaster went on strike over the funding reform.
  3. At its inauguration in December 2025, the Czech government announced a reform of public broadcasting.
  4. The week before the Prague protest, Andrej Babiš published an op-ed on what he called the seven lies being peddled over the licence fees.
  5. The Czech parliament passed the first draft of the proposal to scrap the licence fee in the month before mid-November 2026.
  6. Earlier in November 2026, Czech public media employees staged a one-day strike against the funding proposal, leading to state media boycotts by artists and students.
  7. The bill introduced in October 2026 would replace the 205-crown monthly household fee with funding from the state budget.
  8. Czech public broadcasting workers opposed the government's plans from the summer, and protests grew into a broad popular movement in late October 2026.

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