Czech ruling coalition passes bill to cut public media funding

The legislative push and street protests

The ruling coalition of ANO, Motorists for Themselves, and the Freedom and Direct Democracy party pushed a bill through its first reading in the early hours of October 24. During the heated debate in the lower house of parliament, government MPs approved the draft at around 04:30 on October 24 after a fast-track procedure that limited speaking time and set a fixed voting deadline for the session. This decision immediately triggered mass demonstrations across Czechia, including a rally in Brno where 4,000 people gathered and a massive protest in Prague’s Old Town Square on October 25. In Prague, hundreds of protesters also gathered on Malostranske Square, and police blocked dozens from entering the lower house of parliament on Friday evening, which led me to believe the government’s decision to hold the vote in the small hours of the morning was a transparent attempt to minimize public rage. The Million Moments for Democracy movement organized these protests, using banners that read "Resign!" and "Hands off public media!" alongside colourful and explicit drawings and captions. These demonstrations followed a massive rally on March 21 where 200,000 to 250,000 people gathered at the Letna plateau against the policies of the Babis-led cabinet, similar to the protests the platform led against the previous cabinet in 2018 and 2019.

Budget cuts and government defenses

The reform aims to replace license fees with direct state budget allocations for Czech TV (CT) and Czech Radio (CRo). Marija Wazi, an organizer for the rallies, warned that the government-backed changes would trim the public media budget by 1.4 billion crowns (57.5 million euros) per year, a move that follows the government’s plan to replace license fees with state budget funding.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis dismissed concerns that the change would allow for political control, claiming that "no government will be able to arbitrarily cut [funding] based on whether it likes or dislikes a broadcast." He also argued that "it does not make sense that fees are mandatory for everyone" because citizens can choose services like Netflix or HBO. Culture Minister Oto Klempir rejected the idea that changing the financing of public media is an "attack on democracy" or "the end of the independence of public media." However, Babis accused the opposition of "lying, inciting hatred and dividing society," and he compared the protesters’ attempts to enter the Chamber of Deputies in Prague to the Capitol riots in Washington DC in January 2021. Media expert Martina Urbanikova noted that the funding for public service media is not included in the 2027 state budget, which makes the legislative timeline for a January implementation uncertain.

Staff strikes and international warnings

Staff at CT and CRo, represented by the Verejnopravne initiative, declared a day-long strike for November 3. About 3,200 of the 4,200 employees at the two broadcasters support the move, which they say threatens editorial independence and could lead to the nationalisation of both entities. President Petr Pavel told politicians to "take it down a notch" and stated that "the media must have clear guarantees of independence in every respect, both in terms of content and funding." International groups, including the European Broadcasting Union, the European Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and the International Press Institute, warned that the move could put Czechia on a collision course with the EU regarding the European Media Freedom Act. Political scientist Eva Klusova argued that the parliamentary procedure "bears the features of a power grab, in which we can see inspiration from the rhetoric and tactics of leaders like Donald Trump and Viktor Orban," and the Million Moments for Democracy movement scheduled another mass demonstration for November 15 on Prague’s Letna plain to commemorate the anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution.