Thousands of People Take to the Streets in an Anti-government Protest in Prague

Thousands of people gathered in Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Sunday for an anti-government protest, demanding the current coalition government’s resignation due to high inflation rates informed Euronews. This was the second rally in the Czech capital, after one held on March 11 under the banner “against the poverty” organized by a new political party called PRO. The protestors, speakers at the protest, and the head of the populist group, Jindrich Rajchl, blamed the European Union and the Czech government for the soaring inflation rate and repeatedly called for the current coalition to step down.

The former deputy head of the Czech soccer association and lawyer, Jindrich Rajchl, spoke to the crowd, stating, “We want the government’s resignation. Resign, resign,” and claimed his group was ready to escalate the protests further. Although Rajchl rejected that his group is pro-Russia, the protesters condemned the government’s stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Czech Republic has supported Ukraine since Russian troops invaded the country, providing weapons for the military and taking in approximately 500,000 refugees.

The protest also demanded that the Czech government stop taking actions to reduce misinformation and fake news. Some people signed a petition to demand that the country quits Nato, and protesters were planning to march to the government office later in the day. Prime Minister Petr Fiala was out of the country on a trip to Asia at the time of the protest. Inflation in the Czech Republic has been high but declining in recent months, with March’s rate standing at 15%, down from 16.7% in February and 17.5% in January.

Picture: Demonstration in Pregue, 17 Apr 2023, (Youtube/Euronews)

Source: Euronews