On April 16, right-wing populist political party PRO (Právo Respekt Odbornost) organized a gathering in Prague’s Wenceslas square, serving as a continuation of the party’s newest campaign: the Czech Republic Against Poverty.

The campaign was launched on March 11 and seeks to spur action from the government in several different sectors, including freedom of speech, energy policy, and foreign policy.

The PRO is a right wing party formed in June of last year as a reaction to vaccine mandates issued by the government. Its leader, Jindřich Rajchl, was a former member of the Tricolour citizens’ movement, a fiscally conservative national-conservative citizens coalition which advocates for a unilateral and ubiquitous Czech-first policy.

The gathering on April 16 was the culmination of a series of rallies and demonstrations: for the past two months, the far-right populist party has been hosting demonstrations in smaller towns across the Czech Republic. Between the protest on March 11 and the protest on April 16, PRO has held 15 demonstrations, typically in more rural areas of the country, such as Litoměřice, Teplice, Otrokovice, and Žďár nad Sázavou.

Startingat 14:00, the crowd steadily grew, with thousands of protesters. The protesters, many from smaller villages across the Czech republic, emphasised the economic issues facing the Czech Republic.

“I have worked for 30 years in international companies. My motivation [for being here] is not my current social situation, but the future for my children and so on. Regarding Ukrainian refugees, we do everything okay. The only topic I’m not happy with is our government, and the economic situation.”

Jindřich Rajchl presented a speech on the price of energy, and the reforms his party seeks to actualize. Ondřej Svoboda, another manager of PRO, spoke about domestic and international security, discussing concerns of involving Czech citizens in international military conflicts, such as the Russian war in Ukraine.

Finally, Petr Vacek discussed potential solutions to the war in Ukraine, and how PRO wishes for the government to modify foreign policies to reflect neutrality.

While members of the anti-government protest remained predominantly concerned with domestic issues and the Czech-first policy presented by the speakers, the counter-protesters were far more concerned with the negative consequences of such nationalism and its implications for the war in Ukraine.

“We need to care for Ukraine, we need to care for our western values, but on the other hand I understand the frustration of the people. These people are very frustrated because everything is very expensive, our current government is not taking the steps they should to solve the issue. [We should] try to understand each other’s perspective, and try to not win the argument. It’s not about winning, it’s about living here together,” spoke one of the counter-protestors.

Another counter-protester spoke about why they attended the demonstration. “This is a symbolic action against aggressive Czech people who want to burn the Ukrainian flag. We are symbolic defenders. A lot of people support ukrainians against [Russia], but are against NATO and the EU, they are against international support. They are the same people that were against covid [regulations]. They are a small part of Czech society.”

Shortly after 15:30, the PRO gathering began their march towards the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, passing directly past the counter-protesters. A wall of riot police quickly formed around the counter-protesters, preventing anyone from entering the vicinity.

Members of PRO will be petitioning in front of the government office for 24 hours – until 19:00 on April 17, as well as from 9:00-17:00 on April 18 and 19