Image: 70,000 people came to Wenceslas Square to demonstrate against the government
Organizers expected tens of thousands of people to attend the event. The police estimate the number of participants in the demonstration at 50,000 to 70,000, the police have not yet noticed any problems, said Prague police spokesman Jan Daněk.
Observations of the correspondent of Deník from the scene
The demonstration is expected to last two to three hours. The speaker called on the participants to remain calm and drew attention to possible provocateurs, on whom people should call the police.
In the sea of Czech flags, there is also an island of about ten red flags of the KSČM.
The speaker claims that Wenceslas Square is full and welcomes the media. People chant “It’s here!” and “We’re here!” There are also whistles of “Resignation, resignation!”
Some protesters climb the statue of St. Václav, the police are calling for them to get down.
Opponents of the demonstration stand at the entrance to the National Museum under the Ukrainian flag. There is also a NATO flag and some people are calling for it to be taken down.
At the end of the demonstration, the demands, especially the resignation of the government, are to be published.
In his speech, Zdeněk Jandejsek from Rabbit Trhový Štěpánov claimed that the Czech Republic is at risk of starvation and that the country is run by economic illiterates.
Trikolora president Zuzana Majerová estimated that there are one hundred thousand people in Wenceslas Square at any given moment.
Former deputy Lubomír Volný heckled the crowd and did not want to leave the microphone. He called for the cooperation of national forces. According to him, they have disappointed so far.
for example, the demonstrators brought Czech flags, some also drums and banners with inscriptions such as For every pig, they boil water or for Ukrainians, we have two sweaters. They have slogans against the EU, NATO, Prime Minister Petar Fial (ODS), the Green Deal for Europe and the government’s rejection of Russia. The police are diverting traffic from the upper part of the square, the highway is open. Behind her on the steps of the National Museum are several dozen opponents of the demonstration with a large NATO and EU flag.
There is a large-screen screen and sound system, the singer Pepa Nos shortened the waiting time for the speakers with the song No Fears. The police are diverting traffic from the upper part of the square, the highway is open. Behind her on the steps of the National Museum are several dozen opponents of the demonstration with a large NATO and EU flag.
Fiala: The demonstration in Prague was called by forces that claim to be pro-Russian
“The goal of our demonstration is the necessity of change, mainly in solving the issues of energy prices, especially electricity and gas, which will cause the destruction of the economy already this fall. We called on Mr. (Prime Minister Petr) Fiala (ODS) to negotiate with us, but unfortunately we have no answer. So we will continue to push for this government to end. We will demand its resignation,” said event co-organizer Jiří Havel.
Trikolora chairperson Majerová Zahradníková said after 3 p.m. that the number of demonstrators had exceeded 100,000. “The Czech Republic needs a Czech government. Fial’s government may be Ukrainian, maybe Brussels, but it is definitely not Czech,” she said.
The government should lower taxes, including VAT, and end anti-Russian sanctions that harm Czech businessmen. He is also demanding a halt to the supply of weapons to Ukraine. “This is not our war,” he says. Trikolory’s economic expert, dean of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Economics in Prague, Miroslav Ševčík, accused Germany, among other things, of wanting to dominate the Czech Republic with the help of the European Union.
The organizers of the demonstration have already stated this week that they want the current government to leave, to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis and to repair the damage. They demand freeing the domestic industry from dependence on foreign companies, as well as military neutrality and ensuring direct contracts with gas suppliers at low prices, especially with Russia. According to them, the Czech Republic needs to change the system of distribution and payments for electricity so that it does not pay intermediaries on the stock exchange.
Image: Around 800 motorcyclists drove through the center of Prague. There was also a parachutist jump
Former president of the Agrarian Chamber Zdeněk Jandejsek or energy expert Vladimír Štěpán should speak at the Saturday event. According to the website of the event, SPD deputy Jiří Kobza, chairwoman of the Trikolora movement Zuzana Majerová and communist candidate for president Josef Skály are also scheduled to speak.
The police prepared standard security measures in connection with the demonstration, said Prague police spokesman Jan Daněk. Hundreds of police officers are monitoring the protest, as well as other events taking place on Saturday. Participants of the tenth year also came to Prague Prague Harley Dayswhich also includes the ride of hundreds of motorcycles through the center of the metropolis.