Citizens hold banners and national flags during an anti-government demonstration at Letna Plain, in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday. (EPA-Yonhap)
Citizens hold banners and national flags during an anti-government demonstration at Letna Plain, in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday. (EPA-Yonhap)

PRAGUE (AFP) -- Tens of thousands of Czechs filled a large plain in Prague to rally against the government of billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis on Saturday, slamming it for "arrogance of power."

Babis, in office since last December, leads a three-party nationalist cabinet comprising his catch-all ANO party, the far-right SPD and the rightwing euroskeptic Motorists.

He already faced a rally with tens of thousands of protesters in February.

The Million Moments for Democracy movement organizing Saturday's protest has slammed the government for "playing down" threats from Russia invading Ukraine since 2022.

It put the number of protesters on the Letna plain in Prague's broader center at over 200,000.

The movement has also challenged the government's plans to gain control over public media in the EU and NATO member of 10.9 million people.

"The arrogance of power is growing and extreme politicians are taking our country hostage," it said on Facebook.

On a sunny afternoon, protesters also criticized Babis and Tomio Okamura, the SPD chairman and parliament speaker, for retaining their immunity as lawmakers to avoid trial in criminal cases.

Babis is facing EU subsidy fraud charges, while Okamura has been charged with inciting hatred.

"I don't like the way the government behaves, the arrogance of power, and how it sets completely different moral standards, this is hard to swallow," protester Anna Bittner said.

Marek Perutka, a conservationist carrying a Ukrainian flag, criticized the government's foreign policy as it has refused to provide military aid to Ukraine as it battled a Russian invasion.

The government has also trimmed defense spending below two percent of gross domestic product in the 2026 state budget, which means it will fail a quota set by NATO.

"It is doing everything to drag us towards Russia and, together with Hungary and Slovakia, to dent the EU," Perutka said.

The Million Moments for Democracy brought more than 200,000 protesters to a rally against Babis during his first stint as premier in 2019.

In February, it organized a large rally in Prague's historic centre in support of President Petr Pavel, a former NATO general.

Pavel got embroiled in a dispute with the Motorists as he refused to appoint their candidate Filip Turek as minister. Turek had been accused of rape and criticized for misogynistic and racist remarks.

In mid-February, scores of Czech cities and towns held smaller rallies in support of Pavel.


khnews@heraldcorp.com