Ukraine's First Lady to address 'Czechia Against Fear' demonstration in Prague on Sunday

Friday saw mass anti-government protests take place in Prague with participants calling on the Czech government to establish energy deals with Russia in order to obtain electricity at a lower price in response to skyrocketing inflation.

Thousands of people attended the anti-government demonstration in Prague and about 2,000 came to a similar protest staged in Brno, the second largest city in Czechia, on the occasion of the national holiday marking the birth of Czechoslovakia.

On Sunday, a counter-protest organized by the Million Moments for Democracy movement (Milion chvilek pro demokracii) will take place in the same spot -- and one notable speaker will address the crowds via a remote feed: the First Lady of Ukraine.

Writing on its Facebook page, the Ukrainian Embassy in Prague said:

"We are very honored to announce that on Sunday, Oct. 30, the First Lady of Ukraine Olga Zelensky will speak online at the event Czechia Against Fear which will take place from 4 p.m. on Wenceslas Square in Prague."

A spokesperson for the Million Moments movement told Expats.cz that tomorrow's gathering will be aimed at drawing attention to a number of issues:

"It will spin around the current situation, the atmosphere in the Czech Republic with extremists being louder and louder, the tragic attack on two people in Slovakia, and about the need to support Ukraine instead of leaning towards Putin just because some think it would make gas cheaper."

The organization says that ultimately it wants to show a united front of hope in the face of hatred. "We want to show [...] that Czechia is not full of extremists -- no matter how loud they seem to be these days," said Million Moments for Democracy.

Anti-government protestors organized by the “Czech Republic First” group also congregated in the center of Prague on Sept. 3 with some 70,000 people demanding the overthrow of Prime Minister Fiala's government. A similar protest followed on Sept. 28 and another one will take place on Nov. 17.

The Million Moments movement stands in opposition to the right-wing "Czech Republic First," group. Some 200,000 people have signed its petition in support of democracy in Czechia.

In addition to Zelensky, founders of Million Moments Benjamin Roll and Mikuláš Minář will speak at the event as well as high-profile Czech actors and musicians.