A crowd of protesters stormed the entrance to the Czech Parliament — photos

Several dozen participants in an anti-government protest in Prague attempted to force their way through the main entrance to the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament. Source: Novinky

The incident occurred late in the evening as heated debates were taking place in Parliament over a bill to abolish mandatory television and radio license fees. Hundreds of people opposing the governing coalition’s proposal gathered outside the lower house, believing, along with the opposition, that it threatens the independence of public media organizations.

According to Prague police, an aggressive group tried to storm the building’s doors and windows, prompting officers from the Special Rapid Response Unit to use physical force to hold back the crowd.

The protesters chanted slogans calling for the government to resign and also engaged in heated verbal exchanges and confrontations with some deputies who had come out to speak to the press.

Police said that serious damage was avoided and no arrests were made at the scene, although tensions around the parliamentary district remained extremely high throughout the night.

The publication notes that the escalation in the Czech capital has laid bare a deep political divide in society over the government’s reforms to the funding of Czech Television and Czech Radio. Critics of the reform accuse the ruling parties of trying to exert political control over independent journalism, while the Cabinet insists that the changes are needed to optimize public spending. The Czech president and leading politicians have already called on both sides to ease tensions and strictly observe the law when holding any public demonstrations.

Earlier, protests were held in Prague against Babiš’s government, which is seeking to restrict media independence.