Prague (AFP) – Thousands rallied across the Czech Republic and media workers went on strike on Tuesday over a government plan to change the way public broadcasting is funded.
Issued on: 03/11/2026 - 18:19
The protesters fear the plan to switch from a licence fee paid by individuals to direct financing from the state budget will enable the government to stifle media freedom.
The coalition government led by billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis, however, argues that the broadcasters need to cut costs and insists the plan will have no impact on editorial independence or programme content.
Jakub Szanto, a reporter for the public Czech TV channel, told AFP the government had taken a "radical step" by trying to force through its changes without any wider debate.
"We firmly hope the government will understand that when something's working, you don't have to change it," he said.
Both Czech TV and Czech Radio reduced their programming on Tuesday with thousands of employees joining the protest.
The staff marched from the media headquarters to a central square in Prague, where they were joined by university students and other protesters.
Many wore triangular paper hats similar to a popular animated character from Czech TV that has become a symbol of the protest.
'Think twice'
"We hope this will make politicians think twice... we hope they will withdraw the bill," Czech TV sports reporter Zaneta Perinova told AFP.
The Czech parliament dominated by Babis's three-party nationalist coalition rushed the bill through the first of three readings in a controversial overnight session last month.
Babis said this week that the second reading could happen in January.
Critics have accused Babis of mirroring the muzzling of public media carried out by his allies in other countries, notably Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Hungary's ex-leader Viktor Orban.
The Babis government wants to reduce the budgets of the two outlets, in effect reversing raises awarded by the previous centre-right government last year.
Babis said on Monday that "nobody wants to control public media, let alone nationalise them" and that "none of what the people are protesting against... is true".
The plan has drawn international criticism from the European Broadcasting Union, the European Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the International Press Institute.
Thousands already rallied in Prague on October 25, and a larger demonstration is planned in the Czech capital on November 15.
© 2026 AFP
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