Tens of thousands of people attended the anti-government rally in central Prague. This was reported by the Ceske Noviny newspaper.
The action was carried out under the slogan “Czech Republic First”. The rally’s website states that citizens of the Czech Republic with different political views attended the event, including members of rival political parties and movements. They all “decided to unite and fight together for the future of the country.”
The demonstrators are demanding that Petr Fiala’s government resign and at the same time supply gas at low prices by buying from Russia. They also want to change the electricity payment system. Protesters demanded that Czech authorities take a neutral position in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and liberate the country from “direct political subordination to the European Union, the World Health Organization and the United Nations”.
The organizers of the rally also criticize the Czech government for its “pro-Western course”.
According to the police, 70,000 people gathered on Wenceslas Square in the Czech capital. According to the demonstrators themselves, there were more than 100 thousand people. Opponents of the action were also present at the rally: dozens of people stood up with large NATO and EU flags.
Prime Minister Fiala said the protest was inspired by “anti-Czech, pro-Russian forces”.
“The government of Fiala may be pro-Ukrainian and pro-Brussels, but not Czech,” said Zuzanna Maierova-Zahradnikova, leader of the Tricolora movement, one of the organizers of the rally.
He stressed that authorities should lower taxes, including VAT, and lift anti-Russian sanctions that hurt Czech businessmen. The politician also appealed to the leadership of the Czech Republic to stop the supply of weapons to Ukraine. “This is not our war,” said Maierova-Zagradnikova.
The demonstrators adopted a resolution in which they decided to continue the protest if Petr Fiala’s cabinet did not resign by September 25.
A few days ago, the Czech opposition tried to get the government a vote of no confidence. However, the presidential parliament did not support the initiative: 84 deputies voted ‘in favor’ and 100 voted ‘no’. A vote of no confidence required 101 out of 200 deputies.
The Tricolora movement is the party of Eurosceptics and national conservatives. They have three powers in parliament. The movement’s founder is the son of Vaclav Klaus Jr., the former president of the Czech Republic and the country’s former prime minister, known for his suspicions of the European Union.
The party program is based on three propositions: the priority of the Czech Republic and its citizens over the rest of the world, the liberation of the economy from state regulation, and the preservation of conservative values. The party also supports the Czech Republic’s NATO membership.
There are also publications in the Czech press accusing Vaclav Klaus Jr., his father, and the Tricolora movement of linking with Russia. The headquarters of the movement is registered in a building owned by a Russian businessman. In addition, Vaclav Klaus Sr. has repeatedly spoken in support of Russian policy in Ukraine after 2014, and in 2022 he condemned the Western media and politicians for their unilateral coverage of the conflict.
So far, according to a poll, 3% of Czech people are ready to vote for the recently registered Trikolora party. However, the party believes it is “still ahead”.