Thousands protest in the Czech Republic to demand a new gas deal with Russia and an end to sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine

Crowds gather in Wenceslas Square to call on the government to resign after it survived the vote of confidence. Photo: Martin Divíšek / EPA

The Czech Republic is facing an autumn of discontent after some 70,000 demonstrators gathered in Prague to protest rising energy bills and demand an end to sanctions imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Protesters joined the “Czech Republic First” rally. He called for a new deal with Moscow on gas supplies and a halt to arms shipments to Ukraine, while urging the center-right government of Prime Minister Peter Fiala to resign.

The rally at Wenceslas Square, a historic site of mass opposition in the Czech capital Prague, appears to mark the end of a relatively quiet period in domestic politics since Villala took office last December.

His five-party coalition had survived Friday’s vote of confidence in parliament, which was sparked by the opposition, which accuses the government of not being able to cope with rising domestic fuel bills and controlling the inflation rate, which has soared to 18%, among the highest. in the European Union

The rally, organized in part by the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy Party and the Communist Party that ruled the former Czechoslovakia, included calls for military neutrality and complaints about the arrival of Ukrainian refugees. About 400,000 have obtained residency in the Czech Republic since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Next to placards bearing slogans such as “The best for the Ukrainians and two jumpers for us,” Zuzana Magirova Zhradnikova, of the far-right anti-EU Tricolora party, told protesters: “The Fiala government could be Ukrainian, it could be Brussels., but it certainly isn’t. Czech”.

Some of the demonstrators wore T-shirts praising Russian President Vladimir Putin, while others carried banners expressing anti-EU and anti-NATO sentiment. The Czech Republic was Ukraine’s strongest supporter of the Western alliance.

Organizers have pledged to hold more gatherings, and another date is set to be the symbolic date of September 28, which is the Czech state’s, unless the government resigns before September 25.

Fiala, a leader of the Civic Democratic Party and a former professor of politics, described the demonstration as extremist and fueled by Russian propaganda.

He said: “The protest in Wenceslas Square was called by pro-Russian forces, close to extremist positions and opposed to the interests of the Czech Republic. It is clear that Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns exist on our territory and some people just listen to it.”

However, voices outside the opposition have warned of the potentially dire consequences of a looming winter energy crisis, which Viala will discuss with German Chancellor Olaf Schulz when he visits Prague on Monday.

Justice Minister Pavel Blagic – a member of the prime minister’s party – warned last week of the dangers of unrest and the downfall of the government in the absence of an urgent solution. “If the energy crisis is not resolved, the political system in this country is in danger,” he said.

Boris شفيvik, a Czech commentator writing on the Britské Listy website, noted the number of people present. “When I read in the morning that there were 5,000 people, I waved my hand thinking there would be no more. In the afternoon, there were 70,000 people. It blew me away.”

The agenda is suspiciously reminiscent of that of Donald Trump. When we see how this man can threaten the fabric of a democracy as old and seasoned as America, he should certainly not leave us alone.”

(Information from the Guardian)