Thousands march in Prague against plan to cut funding and politicise Czech public media

The government's funding overhaul

The Czech cabinet has approved a bill abolishing the existing licence fee system for Česká televize (ČT) and Český rozhlas (ČRo) and shifting their financing to the state budget. The budgets of both institutions are set to fall by about 15 percent, a total of 1.4 billion koruny. According to the broadcasters, the cuts would force them to limit programme production and shed between 450 and 700 of their 4,250 employees. The law was pushed through without a detailed impact analysis and without consultation with experts, organisers say.

Mass demonstration in Prague

Thousands of people gathered at metro Pražského povstání at 16:00 on Sunday and marched to the ČT headquarters at Kavčí hory, a route shortened because of high temperatures. Police oversaw the assembly and closed Děkanská vinice I along the route. Participants carried signs reading "ČT a ČRo vám nepatří," "Ruce pryč od našich médií," and "Média nejsou tiskové oddělení vlády," and chanted slogans including "Česko není na prodej" and "Média, nedáme!" Many wore items with the ČT logo and waved Czech, EU and Ukrainian flags.

Public service media are a space for all of us, and the moment they come under the state budget, they cease to be ours and become only property of the current ruling layer.

Opposition and public figures join

The demonstration drew politicians from the opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the Pirate Party. ODS leader Martin Kupka wrote on Facebook:

We will not give up Czech Television and Czech Radio! Sorry!

Pirate chair Ivan Bartoš said he was glad that

not only at this demonstration but also in the Chamber of Deputies, using all civic and political means, we stand hand in hand with conscious people in defending the independence of public service media.

Musician David Koller, actor Miloň Čepelka and singer Leona Machálková also gave their support, and members of the motorbike club Havloids joined the march.

Fears of media politicisation

Milion chvilek, the civic group that organised the event, accused the government of trying to seize control of ČT and ČRo and warned that the country is following the path of Hungary and Slovakia, where public media are under sustained political pressure.

We saw it in Hungary. We are seeing it in Slovakia. We must not allow it here.

Group leader Mikuláš Minář praised the broadcasting staff.

Employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio are, thank God, behaving courageously. They do not want to be bought off and give up without a fight.

Strike looms

In a separate action, employees of both broadcasters have called a 24-hour warning strike for Monday. Organised by the initiative Veřejnoprávně, the walkout will affect programming (news and current affairs shows including Události, Události, komentáře and Reportéři ČT will start one minute late). Milion chvilek has now staged three protests over the funding change: a march at the end of May that targeted the Ministry of Culture and ended with calls for Culture Minister Oto Klempíř to resign, an earlier May demonstration from Staroměstské náměstí to Czech Radio, and the late March anti-government rally on Letná plain that drew almost 250,000 people.