Organizers estimated the crowd at 200,000 people for the peaceful demonstration at Letná park in Prague, where protesters waved Czech national flags and displayed banners with messages such as 'Let’s defend democracy,' according to the Million Moments for Democracy group, which organized the protest. The Czech government, led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, is preparing a bill that critics say is inspired by a Russian law on foreign agents and would require NGOs and individuals involved in political activity receiving foreign aid to register or face big fines. Another plan on the agenda is to change the funding of public radio and television, a move many say would give the government control of the broadcasters.
Babiš returned to power after his ANO movement won big in the October election and formed a coalition with the Freedom and Direct Democracy party and the Motorists for Themselves party. He has opposed some key European Union policies on environment and migration and rejected any financial aid for Ukraine and guarantees for EU loans to Ukraine. Organizers decided to hold the rally after a recent decision by the lower house of parliament to reject a motion to lift the immunity from prosecution of Babiš in a $2 million fraud case involving EU subsidies.
The rejection means Babiš can stand trial only after his term in the house expires in 2029. Lawmakers also refused to agree to allow for the prosecution of lower house Speaker Tomio Okamura on charges of inciting hatred. In Slovakia, thousands of protesters in the capital and elsewhere in the country rallied on Tuesday against a controversial plan by populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to scrap mail voting for Slovaks living abroad.
The rally outside the Parliament in Bratislava opened with applause for neighboring Hungary’s weekend election that ousted populist leader Viktor Orbán. Fico has been a divisive figure at home and abroad since returning to power in 2023, and Tuesday's protests were the latest in a string of demonstrations against his policies. Opposition parties say Fico’s plan targets pro-Western voters, while Fico claims the move to scrap mail voting is to prevent fraud and manipulations.
The protests were organized by the Progressive Slovakia party together with three other political groups: Freedom and Solidarity, the Christian Democrats, and the Democrats. The proposed legislation would prevent tens of thousands of Slovaks living abroad from voting, with the only option remaining being to cast ballots at Slovakia's embassies. 1% of the mail vote while opposition groups got over 80%.
The next elections in Slovakia are due in 2027. Slovaks also rallied on Tuesday in the cities of Košice and Banská Bystrica, as well as in Brussels and Prague.