Tens of thousands of citizens are gathering Sunday in Prague, Czechia, to protest what they consider government efforts to limit media freedom.
The protest is organised against the government’s plan to lift mandatory license fees, through which public broadcasters, Cek Television (Czech TV) and Czech Radio (Czech Radio) are financed.
Organisers from the group Miller Moments for Democracy have warned that the protest could be one of the biggest in the country’s history. Before the gathering, they had predicted the attendance of 400 thousand to 600 thousand people in Letná Square, Prague.
The protest poses another challenge for Prime Minister Andrej Babık and his ruling coalition, comprised of populist, nationalist, hard-right and Eurosceptic parties, reports The Guardian.
It comes after weeks of demonstrations in various cities in the country, as well as a strike by Czech television and Radio workers.
Protesters oppose the plan to lift license fees and financing public media directly from the state budget. According to them, this change would give ministers more influence on editorials and jeopardise the editorial independence of the media.
The organising group has criticised the government, saying it is ignoring experts, trying to silence critics and treating democratic institutions as if they were its property.
The proposed changes also envision cutting television budgets and public radio by about 15 percent. The plan has also been criticised by international media organisations, including the European Union of Broadcasting, the European Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the International Press Institute.
These organisations have drawn parallels with changes taken in the past in Slovakia and Hungary, where governments are accused of weakening media independence.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bab forefathers has dismissed claims that changes pose a threat to media freedom. He has accused political opponents of spreading groundless claims to promote public opinion.
Last week, Babes published an opinion that described the opposition’s claims regarding license fees, which currently amount to 205 Czech crowns, or about seven euros a month.
We will not intervene in any circumstances in editorial work, he wrote, denying that the government intends to take control of public media.
Source Layer: Dukeagini
