Thousands protest in Prague against public media funding reforms

Demonstrators allege Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his coalition’s proposed reforms pose a threat to press freedom.

Tens of thousands of people protest against the government's proposed reforms to media funding in Prague, on October 25, 2026 [Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images]

Several thousand people have taken to the streets in Prague to protest against plans to change the funding system for the Czech Republic’s public media, accusing the government of stifling press freedom.

On Sunday, protesters demanded the withdrawal of legislation seeking to abolish household licence fees and replace them with state budget allocations for public radio and television.

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The Czech lower house of parliament approved fast-tracking the bill in a rare overnight vote on Saturday after governing coalition lawmakers rushed to open the issue, limiting the opposition’s ability to engage in debate before the vote was held.

The bill, proposed by the governing coalition led by billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis , which includes two far-right parties, must still be passed by the upper house before becoming law.

The opposition has pledged to challenge the legislation in the constitutional court. The plan would cut funding for public media by about 15 percent, possibly as early as next year.

Czechs protest against a parliamentary vote to approve public media reforms in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 25, 2026 [Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images]

At the protest in Prague’s Old Town Square, demonstrators chanted, “We’ve had enough”, “This must not be allowed to pass”, and “4:36”, referencing the early morning hour when the draft was approved by parliament.

Babis has said the plan is not an attack on media independence but a matter of funding transparency.

Critics warn the proposed change would allow the governing coalition to take control of the media. They compare it with the actions of populist governments , such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Babis and his coalition, whose agenda includes reducing support for Ukraine as it fights off a Russian invasion, have a record of attacks against the media.

Public media staffers announced they would go on strike on November 3. They are backed by labour unions, university rectors, churches, international media organisations and many others.

A rally is also planned at Prague’s Letna park on November 15, two days before the anniversary of the 1989 anti-communist Velvet Revolution that ended more than 40 years of totalitarian government.

示威者声称，总理安德烈·巴比什及其执政联盟提出的改革方案对新闻自由构成威胁。

2026年10月25日，数万民众在布拉格抗议政府提出的媒体资金改革方案。[Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images]

数千人走上布拉格街头，抗议捷克共和国公共媒体资金制度改革计划，指责政府扼杀新闻自由。

周日，抗议者要求撤回旨在取消家庭许可证费用并以国家预算拨款用于公共广播和电视的立法。

捷克公共媒体员工罢工（共4起），理由是政府威胁其独立性（列表1）。

列表 2/4 “他们试图击垮我们”：捷克警方拘留的亲巴勒斯坦活动人士

捷克警方拘留俄罗斯神父，指控其持有“白色物质”（共4起，此为第3起）

欧盟为维持自由欧洲电台的运营，在特朗普削减预算后，紧急拨款已列入四项计划中的第四项。

捷克下议院在周六罕见的通宵投票中批准快速通过该法案。此前，执政联盟的议员们匆忙提出该议题，限制了反对派在投票前进行辩论的能力。

这项由亿万富翁总理安德烈·巴比什领导的执政联盟提出的法案（该联盟包括两个极右翼政党）仍需经上议院通过才能成为法律。

反对派已誓言要向宪法法院提起诉讼，挑战这项立法。该计划将削减公共媒体约15%的经费，最早可能在明年实施。

2026年10月25日，捷克民众在捷克共和国布拉格抗议议会投票批准公共媒体改革。[Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images]

在布拉格老城广场的抗议活动中，示威者高喊着“我们受够了”、“绝不能允许这项法案通过”和“4:36”，指的是议会批准该草案的凌晨时间。

巴比什表示，该计划并非攻击媒体独立性，而是关乎资金透明度的问题。

批评人士警告说，拟议的改革将使执政联盟能够控制媒体。他们将其与匈牙利总理维克托·欧尔班和斯洛伐克总理罗伯特·菲佐等民粹主义政府的做法相提并论。

巴比什及其联盟的议程包括减少对乌克兰的支持，以帮助乌克兰抵御俄罗斯的入侵，他们有攻击媒体的记录。

公共媒体工作人员宣布将于11月3日举行罢工。他们得到了工会、大学校长、教会、国际媒体组织和其他许多组织的支持。

11 月 15 日，在布拉格的莱特纳公园也计划举行集会，两天后是 1989 年反共“天鹅绒革命”周年纪念日，这场革命结束了 40 多年的极权统治。