On Sept. 28, hundreds gathered in Old Town Square where tents, a stage and two large screens were set up next to the Jan Hus Memorial. Flags of the Czech Republic, European Union, NATO and Ukraine swung over the crowd as public speakers came forth onto the stage to denounce Andrej Babiš’s government.
The event was organized by Milion chvilek pro demokracii (Million Moments for Democracy), an activist coalition that has been responsible for various other demonstrations. Monday was an important day for the organization, as it organized this demonstration less than two weeks before next month’s senate and municipal elections. It also sought to directly address Babis’s government regarding the prime minister’s alleged illegal shareholding of his own conglomerate, Agrofert, as well as his administration’s muted response to the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Million Moments’ presiding chairman Mikuláš Minář and vice-chairwoman Mariana Novotná Nachtigallová stood on stage, giving speeches and inviting other speakers to give speeches of their own. Amongst those invited were Pavol Szalai of Reporters Without Borders, Michal Smetana of Charles University and Jaroslav Hutka, a renowned Czech folk musician.
“I’m not okay with what’s happened in our republic,” said Barbora, an 18-year-old protester who came with her mother. “I think Andrej Babiš is a devil.”
Million Moments for Democracy started as a student-run organization in 2017 before evolving into a larger-scale civic movement responsible for organizing demonstrations against Andrej Babiš and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Their largest demonstration took place in 2019, attended by roughly 250,000 people.
After ANO’s victory in 2024, Babiš formed a coalition government with the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy and Motorists for Themselves. This move sparked discontent amongst the general public alongside rivaling politicians.
“The damage [Babiš’s government] did to Czech politics and trust in the government and institutions in general, it’s unbelievable,” said Michaela Moricová, a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament and the Czech Pirate Party. “The damage in this regard is so big because they are just a bunch of clowns.”
