Huge Prague protest expected Sunday: What to know about crowds and transport

Organizers expect hundreds of thousands of people to gather on Prague’s Letná plain this Sunday for a demonstration defending the independence of Czech Television and Czech Radio.

The rally, called Letná proti 4:36 (Letná Against 4:36) begins at 2 p.m. on Nov. 15. Million Moments for Democracy says people will travel from across Czechia and plans to announce further action beyond Prague.

The attendance forecast is the organizers’ estimate. They say interest exceeds that surrounding their spring rally, which they estimated drew up to 250,000 people.

Prague’s public transport operator will increase metro frequency on all three lines from approximately 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Two temporary tram routes will also operate:

Police are urging participants to use public transport. Officers will oversee traffic and public order, while ambulance services will deploy additional crews and specialist vehicles, supported by Czech Red Cross volunteers.

Travelers arriving from outside Prague face limited availability on some services. Several Sunday trains and buses are already sold out or nearly full, while fares from Brno and Ostrava are higher than usual.

Local volunteers have arranged at least 60 coaches, listed on the organizers’ interactive map. Return tickets cost approximately CZK 250–500, depending on departure point. The national organization is neither arranging nor financing those coaches.

Walking routes and other practical information are available on the rally website.

The rally’s name references 4:36 a.m., the time governing parties scheduled an Oct. 24 parliamentary vote advancing their proposal to abolish television and radio fees.

The bill would replace those fees with state-budget funding. Opponents argue that this would threaten the broadcasters’ financial and editorial independence.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and coalition representatives reject those concerns, saying they are fulfilling an election promise and do not intend to influence broadcasting.

Sunday’s speakers will include actors Zdeněk Svěrák and Ivan Trojan, singer David Koller, and representatives of churches, universities and environmental organizations.

Million Moments chairman Mikuláš Minář said the gathering would be peaceful and would outline how demonstrations and related activities could expand to other cities.

“It will not end with Letná,” he said.

The rally follows the Nov. 3 strike by ČT and ČRo employees and subsequent public and student demonstrations.

Although organizers suggest Sunday could become a historic gathering, attendance remains to be seen: estimates for Letná’s November 1989 demonstrations reached as high as 800,000.