Photograph: Michal Cizek/AFP via Getty ImagesHundreds of thousands of people rallied in the Czech capital of Prague in a demonstration against the cabinet led by billionaire prime minister Andrej Babis. Protesters started ​arriving hours before the rally began at Letna plain overlooking the historic centre, where many waved Czech and EU flags. Photograph: Martin Divisek/EPABabis has rejected similarities with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban or Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, and has often taken a more pragmatic approach in dealings with Brussels compared with his two counterparts. Still, critics have pointed to proposed changes in public media funding as a potential threat to their independence. Coalition officials have argued state funding of public media is common elsewhere in Europe.

Source: The Irish Times March 21, 2026 19:05 UTC