Thousands of people gathered in Prague on Sunday to protest the Czech government’s proposed changes to the public media financing system, which critics argue will reduce funding and threaten editorial independence. The demonstration took place a day before planned strikes by workers at Czech Television and Czech Radio, who intend to disrupt programming in opposition to the reforms while keeping broadcasts on air.

The government, led by Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his populist ANO party, along with coalition partners from right-wing and far-right groups, recently agreed to abolish licence fees that have served as the primary funding source for public broadcasters for decades. Officials justified the move by citing public opposition to mandatory fees levied on households and businesses, proposing instead to allocate funds directly from the state budget.

Opponents contend the shift risks increasing political influence over public media institutions. Mikulas Minar, a representative of the Million Moments (Milion Chvilek) movement that organized the protest, emphasized the need to keep media independent from political control. “Media does not belong to politics,” he told the crowd at the march’s outset.

The protest route was abbreviated due to an ongoing heatwave affecting Prague and other parts of Europe. Despite the shortened march, thousands participated, moving through city neighborhoods en route to the Czech Television building while carrying signs reading “Hands off public media,” according to the CTK news agency.

Under the government's plan, public media funding would revert to levels between 2008 and 2024, prior to the fee increase implemented by the previous administration in 2025. This adjustment is expected to result in an approximate 15% reduction in funding. Czech Television’s director recently warned that the cut could necessitate layoffs ranging from 300 to 500 employees among its roughly 2,900 staff members.

The impending strike by public broadcaster workers on Monday underscores the tensions surrounding the financing overhaul and raises questions about the future operational capacity and editorial autonomy of public media in the Czech Republic.