'Had enough': Thousands protest in Prague against Czech government's public media funding overhaul

People attend a protest rally in support of public media Thousands of people gathered in Czech Republic capital Prague on Sunday to protest against thec government's plans to overhaul the funding of public television and radio, warning that the changes could undermine media independence and expose broadcasters to political pressure.The demonstration in the historic Old Town Square and surrounding streets followed an overnight vote in the lower house of parliament that advanced legislation to abolish licence fees paid by households and businesses and replace them with direct funding from the state budget.The bill, backed by Prime Minister Andrej Babis's governing coalition, received initial approval in the early hours of Saturday after lawmakers moved it unexpectedly onto the agenda and curtailed debate. The legislation is now at the committee stage and must clear further parliamentary votes, including approval by the upper house, before becoming law.Why are Czechs protesting?The proposed reform would cut funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio by around 15 per cent, potentially from next year. Critics argue that replacing licence fees with allocations from the state budget wou...