Time.news – CAbout 70,000 people (police data) have asked Prague for the resignation of the Czech conservative governmentaccusing him of submission to the European Union, and protested against NATO and the sanctions imposed by Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
The protesters, called by opposition parties and other organizations, have called for neutrality in the war in Ukraine, where the Prague Executive has adopted a clear position of political and military support for Kiev.
About 70,000 people filled Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Saturday, with some carrying signs denouncing the country’s membership of the European Union and the NATO military alliance https://t.co/XaDJHxrknK
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On the podium of the very central Wenceslas Square, in the capital, representatives of communist, Eurosceptic and ultranationalist extra-parliamentary groups took turns. Among the speakers, there were those who asked to “free oneself from political submission to the EU, the World Health Organization and the UN”.
The demonstrators, gathered under the slogan “Czech Republic First”, also protested against NATO, of which the country is a member., and called for an end to the sanctions imposed by the EU on Moscow for its aggression against Ukraine; and urged supplies of cheap gas from Russia, protesting against high energy prices.
The Czech Republic has the rotating presidency of the EU and the next leaders’ summit will be held in Prague on 6-7 October.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala recalled in parliament, responding to a no-confidence motion on Friday, that the Czech Republic has granted visas to some 410,000 Ukrainians who fled the war, of which more than 100,000 are integrated into the labor market.
Fiala defined the demonstration as “pro-Russian” and said it was part of a disinformation campaign: the march, added the conservative leader, was organized by pro-Russian forces “close to extremism and opposed to interests” of the Czech Republic “.
“These slogans and the interpretation of the facts coincide with the Russian position and, in my opinion, do not correspond to the interests of the Czech Republic”.