In Prague, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated against the plans of the government of Andrei Babis to transfer independent public media to funding from the state budget.
The Czech government wants to cancel the monthly payment for their work (205 crowns per household), cut the funding by about 15% and freeze it for several years. The bill has already passed the first reading in parliament.
The opposition believes that it will become an instrument of political control over the media, as in Hungary. Of particular concern is the fact that Babis himself owned MAFRA, one of the largest media groups in the Czech Republic.
The Prime Minister denies the intentions to subordinate the broadcasters to the state and explains the reform as a desire to reduce citizens' expenses.