Thousands of Czechs take to the streets to defend public media against a controversial reform.

Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Prague on Sunday to denounce the Czech government's proposed reform of public media funding. Opponents believe the planned changes risk weakening the independence of public broadcasters and paving the way for greater political influence over their operations.

The mobilization comes on the eve of a strike announced by employees of Czech public television and radio. Although broadcasts are expected to continue, several programs may be disrupted in protest against the reform.

The government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, led by the populist ANO party with the support of right-wing and far-right groups, approved the abolition of broadcasting fees last week. These fees have been the main source of funding for the country's public media for decades.

The authorities justify this reform by claiming that a majority of citizens refuse to pay these mandatory contributions imposed on households and businesses. The government plans to replace this system with funding directly from the state budget.

Critics of the project, however, believe this development threatens the editorial independence of public media. They argue that relying directly on government funding could make broadcasters more vulnerable to political pressure.

Critics argue that the reform would also lead to a roughly 15% decrease in the financial resources of the media outlets concerned. This reduction could affect their ability to produce news, cultural, and public service programming.

“The media does not belong to politics,” said Mikulas Minar, a representative of the Million Moments citizens' movement, which organized the demonstration. Despite a heat wave affecting Prague and several other parts of Europe, thousands of people participated in the rally, according to the CTK news agency.

The procession, whose route was shortened due to the high temperatures, headed towards the headquarters of Czech television. The demonstrators held up signs bearing slogans such as "Hands off public media!", illustrating concerns about a reform that continues to divide the country.