Prague Protests: Anti-Babis Demonstrators Descend On Prague

Anti Andrej Babis Logo

Prague, May 29 (CTK) – Several hundred protesters marched through the Prague centre to express as much aloud as possible their disagreement with Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s government (ANO) today.

 

After the silent protest from last week when the demonstrators had their mouths symbolically taped, this time they used the opposite method, noise.

 

They made their disagreement clear by banging pots and lids, whistling and booing.

 

The protesters wanted to let Babis know that this might usher in his end.

 

The demonstrators primarily made it clear that they disagreed with the Communists having a share in power.

 

ANO is conducting talks with the Social Democrats on forming a minority government with the Communist support. President Milos Zeman has said he would give the second try to Babis to form the government.

 

Babis’s first government failed to win the confidence vote in January.

 

The protesters said Babis was the only obstacle to the creation of a “democratic and normal government” and he should step down.

 

The rally was mainly attended by young people. At the call of the organisers, they brought along with them tin dishes, rattles, tambourines and vuvuzelas.

 

When marching through Prague’s Old Town, they were chanting “We are ruled by an StB man,” alluding to Babis’s cooperation with the Communist StB secret police, which he has fiercely denied.

 

According to archive documents, Babis became an StB confidant in 1980. In 1982, he was won for cooperation with the StB as an agent, codenamed Bures. But Babis has repeatedly challenged the allegations.

 

The protesters also chanted “We Do Not Want Any Communists!”

 

The rally was staged by the civic group Million Moments for Democracy.

 

“We do not want the government to be only formed which would depend on those who are ready to swallow a criminally prosecuted person at its head,” the organisers wrote on the Facebook, warning of Babis’s criminal prosecution over an EU subsidy fraud.

 

Protests against Babis were also held in other towns.

 

The organisers are preparing the biggest national demonstrations for June 5.

 

The group wants to collect one million signatures for the petition “For a Decent Prime Minister and a Decent Government.” So far, it has gained over 245,000 signatures.