Hundreds of thousands fill Prague's Letná Plain to protest Czech government

Thousands of people gathered on Prague’s Letná Plain on Saturday afternoon for a mass protest against the government of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in one of the biggest demonstrations in the capital in recent years.

The protest, organized by Million Moments for Democracy under the slogan 'We won’t let our future be stolen,' began after 3 p.m. and is expected to run through 5 p.m. Organizers said before the start that they expected between 200,000 and 400,000 people, and early estimates pegged attendance at around 250,000.

Protesters arrived carrying Czech, EU, NATO, and Ukrainian flags, along with banners criticizing the government and expressing support for President Petr Pavel, public institutions, and Czech Television.

The protest marks Million Moments’ return to Letná more than six years after its 2019 rally against Babiš’s previous government. That earlier event drew roughly a quarter of a million people, according to organizers, and cemented Letná’s role as one of the country’s most important protest sites. The area previously drew hundreds of thousands during Velvet Revolution protests in 1989.

This time, organizers say they want to draw attention to what they describe as the erosion of democracy, the growing influence of oligarchic politics, and government steps they believe are weakening democratic institutions. In its invitation to the rally, the group criticized planned changes to public media financing, what it called the downplaying of the Russian threat, and cuts to defense spending.

Actor Ivan Trojan was among the first speakers. He told the crowd the government was acting irresponsibly by reducing defense spending at a time when Russia continues to pose a threat. He also criticized the growing influence of extremist and populist parties over key ministries.

Million Moments chairman Mikuláš Minář also addressed the crowd, using his speech to push back against government critics and call on people to defend the country’s democratic future. Other guests spoke out against a proposed law on registering foreign ties, warning it could be misused to gradually restrict personal freedoms.

The scale of the demonstration quickly affected transport around Letná. Prague public transport warned that crowds overwhelmed escalators and platforms at Hradčanská metro station, and some trains were temporarily passing through without stopping. A special tram line was also put in place to help carry people to the site.

The Letná area was fitted with large screens and divided into security corridors, with hundreds of volunteers, police officers, firefighters, medics, and other emergency staff on hand. Organizers said more than 200 journalists had also been accredited for the event.

People had been arriving since around noon, with some traveling from outside Prague by bus and train. Participants quoted by Czech media said they had come from across the country, including families and older demonstrators who also took part in earlier civic protests.

Even before the demonstration began in full, Saturday’s turnout had already made it one of the most closely watched political gatherings in Prague this year. Organizers hope the show of force will send a message to the government and reassure supporters of the country’s democratic direction.