Thousands of people demonstrated in downtown Prague on Sunday, claiming that the Czech government is allocating too many resources to assisting Ukraine in its war against Russia rather than addressing the country’s energy issue and excessive inflation. Many people want Prime Minister Petr Fiala to resign.
The opposition party Law, Respect, Expertise (PRO 2022) organized the ‘Czechia Against Poverty’ demonstration. Protesters gathered in Wenceslas Square, criticizing “the lying government” and carrying banners reading “No to war” and “Get out of NATO.”
Jaroslav Foldyna, an MP from the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, told the gathering that “the government needs to go before it destroys the country.”
Renata Urbanova, a demonstrator, told AFP that the administration is “full of warmongers” who “are making us suffer economically.”
At roughly the same time, a gathering of protesters waving Ukrainian flags marched in support of Kiev in the capital’s downtown. Members of opposing camps yelled at each other before being separated by authorities.
Last month, a similar anti-government protest took place. At the event, more than a dozen people were arrested, and scuffles with police broke out.
According to a January study by pollster Median, the monthly cost of living has risen for the majority of Czechs, and up to 70% of households have been forced to resort to austerity measures.
At the same time, Prague has given Ukraine with heavy armaments, including 89 tanks, and has backed the EU’s economic sanctions against Russia. According to Euronews, more than 460,000 Ukrainian refugees landed in the Czech Republic after February 2022, with approximately 300,000 remaining.
The Czech parliament passed a measure last year targeted at assisting refugees, which was recently extended until April 2024.
