1,000 Czechs march in Prague, protest against anti-COVID restrictions

On the 31st anniversary of the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia, an estimated one thousand protesters paraded through Prague yesterday, demonstrating against the Czech government's anti-pandemic lockdown measures.

Protesters began their march in Wenceslas Square around 16:00, from where they paraded through the streets to the National Theatre and back again to sing the national anthem. Adding to their numbers, a corresponding protest that was originally to take place on Letna joined the group on the Square.

Some 700 police officers, including members of the anti-conflict team, monitored the rally put on by One Joint Czech Heart for Freedom, but did not intervene, police spokesman Jan Danek told CTK.

However, police did detain two people for minor offenses, one for using fireworks and the other one for being drunk and disorderly, Danek added.

Many at the rally made speeches, "We have a lion in the state coat of arms, not a sheep, so let us behave accordingly," one of the speakers told the crowd.

As they marched through the streets, protesters yelled to onlookers to remove their face masks and join the procession.

Demonstrators carried Czech flags and banners with anti-government inscriptions, such as "Even Viruses Are More Capable than the Government." During the march, people chanted slogans, "Freedom, Freedom!", "Children to Schools" and "We Want to Go to Work."

The march ended back at Wenceslas Square where participants sang the national anthem and began to leave soon after. There were no incidents with the police and the demonstration broke up peacefully.

A two-hour demonstration also took place the center of Brno, the second largest town in the Czech Republic yesterday.