The Czech Republic faces an autumn of discontent after around 70,000 demonstrators gathered in Prague to protest soaring energy bills and demand an end to sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Far-right and far-left elements united at a ‘Czech Republic First’ rally to call for a new deal with Moscow on gas supplies and halting arms shipments to Ukraine, while urging Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s centre-right government to step down.
The protest in Wenceslas Square – historically a site of mass dissent in the Czech capital, Prague – appeared to spell the end of a relatively quiet period in domestic politics since Fiala took office last December.
His five-party coalition survived a parliamentary vote of confidence on Friday, triggered by the opposition, which accuses the government of being unable to meet rising domestic fuel bills and control an inflation rate that has jumped to 18%, among the highest. in the EU.
The rally, organized in part by the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party and the rump communist party that once ruled former Czechoslovakia, featured calls for military neutrality and complaints about the arrival of Ukrainian refugees . Around 400,000 people have been granted residency in the Czech Republic since Russia invades Ukraine.
Alongside banners bearing slogans such as “The best for Ukrainians and two riders for us”, Zuzana Majerová Zahradníková of the anti-EU far-right Trikolora party told protesters: “Fiala’s government may be Ukrainian , it may be Brussels, but it’s definitely not Czech.
Some protesters wore T-shirts praising Russian President Vladimir Putin, while others carried banners expressing anti-EU and anti-NATO sentiment. The Czech Republic is one of the countries of the Western Alliance most dedicated supporters from Ukraine.
Organizers have promised to hold more rallies, with another scheduled for the symbolic date of September 28, Czech Statehood Day, unless the government resigns by September 25.
Fiala, the leader of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and former professor of politics, called the protest extremist and fueled by Russian propaganda.
He said: “The demonstration in Wenceslas Square was triggered by pro-Russian forces, close to extreme positions and contrary to the interests of the Czech Republic. It’s clear that Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns are present in our territory and some people simply listen to them.
However, unopposed voices have warned of the potentially catastrophic consequences of the looming winter energy crisis, which Fiala is due to discuss with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz when he visits Prague on Monday.
Justice Minister Pavel Blažek – a member of the Prime Minister’s party – warned last week of the risk of riots and the fall of the government if there is no urgent solution. “If the energy crisis is not resolved, the political system of this country is in danger,” he said.
Boris Cvek, a Czech commentator writing on the Britské Listy site, pointed to the number of people present. “When I read in the morning that there were 5,000 there, I waved my hand thinking there would be no more. In the afternoon it was 70,000. It blew my mind,” he said.
“The diary is strangely reminiscent of Donald Trump’s diary. When we see how this man can threaten the very essence of even an old and experienced democracy like that of the United States, it certainly should not leave us in peace.
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