About 70,000 people gathered at Wenceslas Square in Prague on Saturday for a three-hour demonstration against the government. The protest called the Czech Republic in 1st place was a joint action of organizations, political parties and citizens who disagree with the current policy of the Czech Republic. The organizers called for the resignation of the government and announced that they were planning a strike if it did not happen. According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala, the demonstration was called by “forces that claim to be pro-Russian, are close to extreme positions and are against the interests of the Czech Republic.” “The goal of our demonstration is the necessity of change, especially in solving the issues of energy prices, especially electricity and gas, which will cause the destruction of our economy already this autumn. We invited Prime Minister Petr Fiala to negotiate with us, but unfortunately we have no answer. So we will continue to push for this government to end. We will demand her resignation,” said Jiří Havel, co-organizer of the event. “We demand a temporary government of experts and the calling of early elections. If the government does not resign by September 25, we will announce coercive means for the demonstration on September 28. We are already negotiating with trade unions, entrepreneurs, farmers and other groups to declare a strike,” added co-organizer Ladislav Vrábel. They criticized high prices Among the first speakers were energy experts Ivan Noveský and Vladimír Štěpán, who criticized the functioning and high prices of the energy exchange in Leipzig. Miroslav Ševčík, dean of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Economics, also spoke on stage. He used personal attacks against Fiala, rejected the goals of the Green Deal and then accused Germany of wanting to dominate the Czech Republic with the help of the European Union. Several politicians spoke after the group of experts. Zuzana Majerová-Záhradníková from Trikolóra spoke first. “The Czech Republic needs a Czech government. Fial’s government is maybe Ukrainian, maybe Brussels, but definitely not Czech,” she said. According to her, the government should reduce taxes, including VAT, and end anti-Russian sanctions that harm Czech businessmen. She also demanded the cessation of arms supplies to Ukraine. “This is not our war,” declared Majerová-Zahradníková, and her statement evoked a strong response among the demonstrators. Ľubomír Volný spoke next with a speech about the fragmentation of far-right political forces. “The national political scene disappointed the expectations of the Czech public at the parliamentary and non-parliamentary level. We argued with each other, we competed and we bet on advertising PR agencies. Your task is to force us to cooperate,” urged Volný. Jozef Skála from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia also spoke about the cooperation of various political movements. “Let’s not fight yesterday’s wars. The national right needs a civilized left. We must return to the extra league of the world economy. We will push the current and future governments to do so, as long as this patriotic bloc stays together,” Skála declared. Opponents also arrived After the event, the police officers confirmed that they did not have to solve any major problem, although several dozen opponents with European Union and NATO flags also arrived at the scene. The demonstrators also did not like the flag of Ukraine, which is hung at the National Museum. “Take that flag,” the crowd chanted. Some of the demonstrators brought with them drums and banners with inscriptions against the government, the European Union, NATO and Prime Minister Peter Fial. Some also brought Russian flags or red flags of the KSČM. The organizers of the demonstration want to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis and repair the damage. They demand the liberation of Czech industry from dependence on foreign companies, military neutrality and the provision of direct contracts with gas suppliers at low prices, especially with Russia. According to them, the Czech Republic needs to change the system of distribution and payments for electricity so that it does not pay middlemen on the stock exchange. Rakušan takes people’s concerns seriously Interior Minister Vít Rakušan said that he takes seriously the concerns of people who came to the demonstration. “That’s why we are working on solutions that will alleviate people’s fear of the future. However, that solution does not represent an inclination towards Putin’s Russia, I do not agree with the speakers on that,” said the Deputy Prime Minister. At the same time, he warned that it is necessary to prevent the division of the public. “Dividing society is one of the goals of the hybrid war we are facing,” the Austrian wrote on Twitter. Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that the demonstration “was called by forces that claim a pro-Russian orientation, are close to extreme positions and are against the interests of the Czech Republic.” He added that everyone has the right to express their views and demonstrate. “The interpretations of the events that I have had the opportunity to see so far point to strongly pro-Russian attitudes, and in my opinion, this does not correspond to the interests of the Czech Republic and our citizens,” added Fiala. 01 – Modified: 2022-09-02 12:09:33 – Feat.: 0 – Title: Climate scientists call for civil disobedience. It’s the only way, they say 02 – Modified: 2022-08-30 10:35:18 – Feat.: 0 – Title: Reportage from Lithuania. 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