Czech Republic on Independence Day remembered Russia and criticized Ukraine

In the Czech Republic, on October 28, a holiday was celebrated – Independence Day of Czechoslovakia. Thousands of people with state flags filled Wenceslas Square in Prague. A gloomy note was brought by the rallies, which became the main reason for the mass outing of people on the streets. The reason is the same – rising prices and demanding the resignation of the government.

People across the country celebrate the Independence Day of the Czechoslovak Republic. It was on October 28, 1918 that the Czech National Committee in Prague proclaimed independence from Austria-Hungary, and announced the unification of the Czech Republic and neighboring Slovakia into the Republic of Czechoslovakia. On Friday morning, according to local media, the country’s top officials, army representatives, church leaders and cultural workers took part in a ceremony at the Vitkov memorial in Prague, laying wreaths at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and honoring the memory of those who died for the Motherland. Small celebrations were held throughout the country, which ended with the ceremony of presenting state awards by President Milos Zeman.

By the way, the list of laureates for 2022 is usually kept secret. However, only one candidate was made an exception. According to Czech Radio, it was officially announced that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will receive the Order of the White Lion, the Czech Republic’s highest state award, in absentia. For what such merits – the publication does not specify.

However, the holiday was overshadowed – at least for some residents of the Republic. Anti-government demonstrations took place in Prague, Brno, Ostrava and a number of other cities. More than 10 thousand people filled the central square of the Czech capital. The demonstrators called on the government to resign due to the sharp rise in prices.

Waving national flags and banners against the government and the entire EU, the protesters chanted “resign, resign”, calling for early elections and gas talks with Russia. Also, some banners read: “If you want peace, don’t support this government!”, “The future for children”, “Stop NATO”.

The action, called “Czech Republic first”, was held for the third time. It was organized by a group calling for the country’s withdrawal from NATO and renewed ties with Moscow. Activists have criticized EU sanctions against Moscow as a source of problems in the region and have called for talks with the Kremlin to secure new supplies of cheaper natural gas. On social media, the organizers criticized the government’s support for about 400,000 Ukrainian refugees in the country and called on the authorities to prevent their permanent settlement in the Czech Republic. The Interior Ministry described a similar protest, attended by 70,000 people in September, as promoting “pro-Kremlin propaganda narratives.”

The Czech government of Petr Fiala has proven to be one of Kyiv’s most ardent supporters in the EU, supplying it with everything from tanks and ammunition to political support. By initially refusing to offer general subsidies, Fiala’s cabinet responded to growing dissatisfaction with electricity and natural gas price caps on households and small businesses.

According to police, fewer than 10,000 people gathered, which is slightly less than at the two previous Czech First events on September 3 and 28, when between 70,000 and 100,000 people arrived in Václav.

“There are more people here than there were on September 3 and 28,” objected the organizer of the rallies, Ladislav Vrabel. “We will take over this country!” he declared at the demonstration.

Opponents of Petr Fiala’s government also gathered on Friday at the Green Market in Brno. The demonstration was organized by the PES Movement and supported by other parties and movements. Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) leader Tomio Okamura was one of the first to speak. The police estimated participation at 2,500 people, before 16:00 people began to leave the square.

The protest action started at 14:00, when Karel Kryl’s song “Morituri te salutant” sounded from the loudspeaker. People filled the upper part of the Green Market near the Moravian Regional Museum.

One could hear from the podium that it didn’t matter who called the demonstration, what mattered was the people who came. The demonstration was against “price gouging and an incompetent government”. There were also cries of “shame”.

Then the chairman of the SPD party, Tomio Okamura, spoke, criticizing the debt of the Czech Republic and support for Ukraine.

“Hopefully we will make it clear to the government that we do not agree with them. We do not want war and rising prices, we want peace and the resignation of the government. Ministers say the Czech Republic is facing the worst disaster since World War II. If we allow the government to run into such debts, there is a risk of collapse of the Greek scenario as well. I do not agree that the government agreed to borrow ten billion crowns and give them to Ukraine,” Okamura said.

He also criticized the fact that half of the ministers are going to Kyiv for joint talks with the Ukrainian government. “Don’t you want to stay there?” he challenged the cabinet ministers.

“A monstrous system, when the state squeezes the maximum out of citizens, and then returns something to you in the form of benefits. I do not agree with this,” said the chairman of the Freedom and Direct Democracy party. Okamura claims that the government wants to create censorship. He calls for further pressure and demonstrations to undermine the credibility of the government and provoke quarrels within the government.

People applauded him and chanted: “Resign.” The protesters could even sign a petition against price gouging on the spot. Okamura called the crisis political and values, not economic.