Overview
- Organizers said more than 200,000 people filled Prague’s Letná plain, with international outlets citing estimates between 200,000 and 250,000 that were not independently verified.
- Protesters accused the three‑party coalition of an 'arrogance of power' and democratic backsliding, pointing to efforts to reshape public media and a draft foreign‑agent law targeting foreign‑funded civic activity.
- The government faced criticism for refusing military aid to Ukraine and for a 2026 budget that lowers defense spending below NATO’s 2% of GDP benchmark.
- Rage over legal accountability intensified after parliament declined to lift Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s immunity in an EU subsidy fraud case and blocked the prosecution of Speaker Tomio Okamura on incitement charges.
- The Million Moments for Democracy movement led the rally, decried the cabinet’s alignment with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Slovakia’s Robert Fico, and indicated further protests are planned.