Thousands of high school and university students marched through the Czech capital on Wednesday to protest a government plan to overhaul — and reduce — funding for public radio and television.

“We won’t let you take the media,” protesters chanted as they moved through the city. Smaller demonstrations were also reported in other parts of the country.

The new coalition government led by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has drafted a proposal to scrap the licence fees currently paid by households and businesses. Under the plan, public broadcasters would instead be funded directly from the state budget — a shift critics say could undermine their independence.

The draft legislation would also cut overall funding. Czech Television (ČT) would receive about CZK 5.7 billion annually, down from roughly CZK 6.7 billion, while Czech Radio (ČRo) would see its budget fall to just over CZK 2 billion from CZK 2.5 billion.

Media unions have warned they are ready to strike if the government proceeds. The proposal still requires approval from both the cabinet and Parliament and could take effect next year.

Press freedom groups across Europe have raised concerns that the changes go beyond a technical funding adjustment. Several organisations, including the European Federation of Journalists and the Media Freedom Rapid Response network, say the bill risks weakening safeguards designed to protect the financial and editorial independence of public broadcasters.

They have also urged the European Commission to review the proposal’s compatibility with the European Media Freedom Act, which requires EU member states to ensure public media receive stable, transparent and sufficient funding.

Czech Television and Czech Radio have strongly opposed the plan, warning it could open the door to political pressure and create legal uncertainty around their operations.

The Vienna-based International Press Institute echoed those concerns, saying it fears the proposed changes could “weaken the broadcasters’ financial and editorial independence and compromise their ability to fulfill their public service remit.”

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