Protests in Prague. Hundreds of people demonstrated against Wenceslas Square in Wenceslas Square
The participants of the event were mostly without veils, they have Czech flags. They held banners stating that they were not children, that the government restricted them in sports activities and they wanted an end to government bullying. They also spoke out against vaccination.
The police did not notice any significant problems, said spokeswoman Violeta Siřišťová during the event. If the number of people in protest violates current government restrictions, they will report the convener’s policy to the appropriate administrative authority. According to the spokesperson, he solves cases of people without veils, for example.
Lubomír Volný, a non-attached MP, who refused to wear a veil in the Chamber of Deputies and recently had a skirmish there, spoke at the demonstration. Other speakers, including a doctor or clergyman, questioned the wearing of veils, the administration of vaccines and restrictions on economic, social and sporting activities.
According to the Union of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, the demonstration of the situation of entrepreneurs does not solve the problem, and most of them do not join this form of protest. “Together we will manage the situation better, but as entrepreneurs we are against all initiatives that send people to the crowd on the streets, but a practical solution,” said the chairman of the association Jozef Regec.
In recent days, the group Chcípl PES has been organizing protests. On Friday, for example, she called a demonstration in front of the government office, which gathered around fifty people. The initiative, which brings together entrepreneurs who do not agree with the government’s anti-epidemic measures, has called on entrepreneurs in recent weeks to open their businesses despite the government’s ban. On January 10, it organized demonstrations in Prague’s Old Town Square, bringing together thousands of people.
The organizers of the protest have previously stated that they want to transform into the political movement Open Czechia – Chcípl PES. Restaurants become political cells. According to the representatives of the initiative, they will be able to be opened in them, according to them, political negotiations have an exception from government anti-epidemic regulations. Interior Minister Jan Hamáček (CSSD) called such an interpretation of the government regulation incorrect.