Hundreds of thousands set to rally in Prague in defence of media freedom

Preparations are under way for a rally of hundreds of thousands of people in Prague, the capital of Czechia, on Sunday. The protest has been called over allegations that the government is trying to stifle media freedom.

Protesters say the government plans to scrap the mandatory licence fees that fund the country's public broadcasters and fund them from the state budget instead. The gathering, called to save those fees, could be one of the biggest in the nation's history, organisers say.

The rally could become the latest challenge for Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his coalition. It follows weeks of demonstrations in towns and cities and a strike by staff at Czech TV and Czech Radio.

Protesters argue that scrapping the licence fees and funding the broadcasters from the state budget would give ministers more leverage over newsrooms. They cite the examples of Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Serbia, where, they say, current and previous rightwing populist governments eroded media independence.

The Million Moments for Democracy group, which is organising the demonstration, said in a statement that the authorities would see the level of opposition. In the group's words, Babis and his government think they can get away with anything, ignore experts, silence critics and treat democratic institutions like their property.

Organisers expect 400,000 to 600,000 people at Letna Plain, which overlooks Prague's historic centre. Daniel Stach, a TV presenter and one of the most recognised faces of the campaign, said some protesters would also be channelling wider opposition to the government.

Under the proposed changes, state television and radio budgets would be cut by about 15 percent. The plan has drawn fire from international media organisations.

The European Broadcasting Union, the European Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the International Press Institute have criticised the government's media plan and compared it to controversial moves by Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, and Hungary's former premier, Viktor Orban.

Babis, a billionaire who returned to power last year, said protesters were riling up the public with unfounded claims about threats to media freedom. Last week he published an op-ed on what he called the 'seven lies' being peddled by the opposition over the licence fees, which together add up to 205 koruna a month. He wrote that anyone who talks about 'nationalisation' of public media is deliberately lying, and, in his words, under no circumstances will they interfere in editorial work.