Fiala: The demonstration in Prague was called by forces that claim to be pro-Russian
Update: 03/09/2022 19:37
Issued by: 03/09/2022, 19:36
Líbeznice (near Prague) – Saturday’s demonstration on Wenceslas Square, attended by tens of thousands of people, was called by forces that claim to be pro-Russian, are close to extreme positions and are against the interests of the Czech Republic, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) told journalists. Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of the Interior Víta Rakušan (STAN) said on Twitter that he takes seriously the concerns of the people who came to the demonstration. According to him, the solution to the situation does not lie in leaning towards Putin’s Russia. According to the police, 70,000 people gathered for the anti-government demonstration. The chairman of the ANO movement, Andrej Babiš, said that he was not surprised by such a high number, and would not be surprised if more came next time.
The premiere is traveling through central Bohemia as part of the campaign before the municipal elections. “It is clear that Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns are appearing on our territory and someone is simply subject to them,” said Fiala in Líbeznice near Prague. He added that everyone has the right to express their position and demonstrate. “The interpretations of the events that I have had the opportunity to see so far point to strongly pro-Russian attitudes, and in my opinion, this does not correspond to the interests of the Czech Republic and our citizens,” added Fiala.
Prime Minister for his words on twitter criticized the head of the largest trade union headquarters in the country, Josef Středula. “I have already experienced disparaging everyone without evidence in 2012 with the ODS government. You are still going down the wrong path, Mr. Prime Minister,” wrote the chairman of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (ČMKOS).
According to Středula, today’s demonstration was mainly the result of the bad work of the government and people’s fears about the future. If the cabinet does not act to protect people and companies, the demonstrations will not only continue, but will gain strength, he added.
Even the leader of the opposition movement ANO Babiš would not be surprised if even more people came to anti-government demonstrations next time. “I’ve been traveling all over the country for the last few months and I hear how desperate and angry people are. I hope that the leaders of the coalition of five, who smiled so arrogantly after their speeches in the House of Representatives when expressing no confidence in the government, see it too,” wrote Babiš on Facebook. According to him, the government loses its arrogance, incompetence and cluelessness in the cities and on the streets, even though it has a majority in the House of Representatives. The opposition failed this week in an attempt to pass a vote of no confidence in the government.
The Austrian Minister of the Interior said today that he takes seriously the concerns of the people who came to the demonstration. “That is why we are working on solutions that will alleviate people’s fear of the future. However, those solutions do not lie in favoring Putin’s Russia, in that they do not agree with the speakers,” said the Deputy Prime Minister. At the same time, he warned that the public should not be divided. “The split of society is one of the objectives of the hybrid war we face,” the Austrian wrote on twitter.
Citizens who are experiencing difficult times and are afraid should be taken seriously and listened to, according to the chairwoman of government TOP 09 Markéta Pekarová Adamová. “But if anyone expects us to lean towards the criminal Russian regime, they won’t get it,” she wrote on twitter.
The protest called Czech Republic in 1st place was a joint action of organizations, political parties and citizens who disagree with the current policy and want change. The main demand of the organizers is the resignation of the government and the calling of new elections.