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Thousands of Czechs rallied successful the superior connected Sunday (June 21, 2026) to condemn a program by the authorities led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to overhaul backing for nationalist broadcasters that is considered unsafe for their independence.
The protesters gathered successful beforehand of the Czech nationalist tv offices successful Prague to dependable their enactment for the media a time earlier their staffers program to spell connected a informing onslaught and aft caller protestation marches successful the determination capitals and Prague.
According to the program approved by the government, nationalist vigor and tv would beryllium financed from the authorities fund starting adjacent year, and not from fees paid by individuals, households and businesses.
Critics accidental that alteration would springiness the three-party conjugation authorities a means to instrumentality power of the media pursuing the examples of populist governments successful Slovakia nether Prime Minister Robert Fico and Hungary nether erstwhile Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
“The media don't beryllium to politicians,” Mikuláš Minár, a main organizer from the Million Moments for Democracy radical said. “They beryllium to america each and we won't let them to beryllium stolen from us." Mr. Babiš, members of his authorities and loyal lawmakers person a grounds of attacks against the nationalist and different mainstream media.
The authorities plan, which has been criticized by planetary media organizations, would springiness the media astir 15 per cent little wealth than they person this year. It contains nary guarantees of backing successful the future.
The directors of nationalist vigor and tv said that would necessitate them to laic disconnected hundreds of staffers. Babiš said the media request to prevention money.
The docket of Mr. Babiš' conjugation includes steering the state distant from supporting Ukraine and rejecting immoderate cardinal EU policies.
