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Up to 250,000 Protest in Prague Against Babiš Government Over Foreign-Funding Register

Protesters targeted a proposal critics compare to Russian-style controls that President Petr Pavel condemns as a threat to democracy.

Overview

  • Organizers reported 200,000–250,000 people gathering on Prague’s Letná plain.
  • Speakers accused Babiš’s coalition of authoritarian drift and an eastward tilt, likening the register plan to Russian-style measures.
  • The draft would require individuals, schools and civic groups receiving money from abroad to enter a special register, which Babiš frames as a transparency effort to curb foreign interference.
  • Demonstrators also objected to recent defense spending cuts and proposed changes to public-service media financing.
  • Babiš leads a right-leaning coalition with Motorists and the far-right SPD, and a recent majority vote kept his parliamentary immunity intact as alleged subsidy-fraud risks linger.