Hundreds of Thousands Expected at Prague Rally Over Czech Media Plan

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to rally in Prague on Sunday, 15 November, to protest what they say is a government attempt to stifle media freedom. The organiser, the Million Moments for Democracy group, expects between 400,000 and 600,000 people at Letná Plain, an open space overlooking the historic centre of the Czech capital.

The demonstration aims to save the mandatory licence fees that pay for Czechia's public broadcasters. These are charges that households must pay to fund public television and radio. The combined Czech TV and radio licence fees add up to 205 koruna (£7.03) a month, according to The Guardian.

The government plan would scrap those fees and fund the broadcasters from the state budget instead. The proposed changes would cut state television and radio budgets by about 15%. Protesters say that funding from the budget would give ministers more leverage over newsrooms.

The European Broadcasting Union, the European Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the International Press Institute have all criticised the government's media plan. Their concerns focus on the same question of how the broadcasters would be financed.

The Prague rally follows weeks of demonstrations in towns and cities across the country, as well as a strike by staff at Czech TV and Czech Radio. It is also a challenge to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his coalition of populist, hard-right nationalist and Eurosceptic parties.

Babiš has responded in print. He published an op-ed on what he called the "seven lies" being spread by the opposition over licence fees.

Among the most visible figures in the campaign is Daniel Stach, a television presenter whom The Guardian describes as one of the most recognised faces of the movement.