Czechs Rally to Defend Public Media, Citing Slovakia as Warning Example

Thousands of Czechs demonstrated across twelve regional cities on Sunday to defend their country's public broadcasting system against perceived government interference. The protests, organized by the Million Moments for Democracy initiative, called on citizens to prevent Prime Minister Andrej Babiš's government from taking control of television and radio stations and turning them into "mouthpieces for politicians." The demonstrations followed massive rallies in Prague the previous week that drew tens of thousands of participants. Czech protesters explicitly referenced Slovakia as a cautionary example of what happens when governments gain excessive control over public media, reflecting broader concerns about media independence in the region.