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Czechs Protest Babiš Plan Cutting Public Media Funding 15%

By Drooid · Oct 26, 2026, 11:55 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Czechs Protest Babiš

Czechs rallied in Prague to protest Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s plan to overhaul public broadcaster funding.
The coalition fast-tracked the draft at 4:36 a.m., limiting opposition debate.
The plan would shift financing to the state budget, cutting media funding by about 15 percent.
Opposition parties said they will challenge the law in the constitutional court.
Public-media staff scheduled a strike for November 3, with support from unions, universities.

Summary

Babiš Defends Broadcasting

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš argued that state-funded public broadcasting is a standard practice across Europe.
The governing coalition currently comprises ANO, Freedom and Direct Democracy and Tricolour Citizens' Movement, which opposes its EU climate policies.
Organizers did not release official protest numbers; according to local media, the crowd numbered thousands.

History

Historical Context

After the 1995 Media Act created Czech Television as a publicly funded, editorially independent broadcaster with a 0.5 % budget allocation (about 1.2 billion crowns), the 2026 coalition led by Andrej Babiš introduced a state-budget levy that would slash funding by roughly 15 percent and place oversight under the Council for Radio and Television, reviving concerns over media pluralism.

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Czechs Protest Babiš

Czechs rallied in Prague to protest Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s plan to overhaul public broadcaster funding.
The coalition fast-tracked the draft at 4:36 a.m., limiting opposition debate.
The plan would shift financing to the state budget, cutting media funding by about 15 percent.
Opposition parties said they will challenge the law in the constitutional court.
Public-media staff scheduled a strike for November 3, with support from unions, universities.

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