Thousands rally in Brno for public media ahead of Sunday’s Prague protest

Several thousand people filled Brno’s náměstí Svobody on Saturday to oppose planned changes to public-media funding, as protests spread beyond the overnight gathering outside parliament in Prague.

Petr Štika, secretary of the Brno-střed district authority, estimated attendance at approximately 4,000. Demonstrators called for Czech Television and Czech Radio to remain independent of political influence.

The rally came hours after governing MPs advanced legislation replacing television and radio license fees with direct state-budget funding. Another protest is scheduled for Prague’s Old Town Square at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25.

Saturday’s demonstration began at 4:30 p.m. and lasted approximately 90 minutes. Some participants carried Czech flags, while placards included messages such as “We won’t give up our media” and “Media must not belong to politicians.”

The crowd extended across tram tracks, temporarily interrupting services through the square.

Speakers focused on democracy, media freedom and retaining the current license-fee model. Participants chanted in response, and the national anthem was played shortly before the gathering ended at around 6 p.m.

Organized by Milion chvilek pro demokracii, the Brno rally presented the funding dispute as a question of whether journalists would remain able to scrutinize those in power.

Organizer Marija Wazi challenged the government’s argument that abolishing fees would save households money. Citizens would continue paying through taxes, she said, while decisions about funding would move into the state-budget process.

She also highlighted the proposed CZK 1.4 billion reduction in the broadcasters’ combined funding next year.

The government rejects claims that the change threatens independence. Culture Minister Oto Klempíř has described state-budget financing as a common European approach, while Prime Minister Andrej Babiš says the coalition is fulfilling its promises.

Milion chvilek chairman Mikuláš Minář confirmed the Sunday Prague protest in a video published by the group.

Czech Television and Czech Radio employees have separately announced an all-day strike for Tuesday, Nov. 3. Organizers say changes will be visible across television channels, although the precise arrangements have yet to be announced.

The funding bill passed its first parliamentary stage at 4:36 a.m. Saturday after a heated debate. It still requires further parliamentary approval before becoming law.

Opposition parties failed to secure its rejection or return to the government for revision. They have promised to continue challenging it and say they intend to approach the Constitutional Court and European Commission over the legislative process.

Under the proposal, Czech Television would receive CZK 5.74 billion next year, approximately CZK 1 billion below its expected fee income this year. Czech Radio would receive CZK 2.065 billion, roughly CZK 400 million less.

Czech Television’s management has warned that the proposed funding level would severely threaten its operations.