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Czechs Hold Mass Protest Against Prime Minister On Eve of Velvet Revolution Anniversary

By RFE/RL November 16, 2019

PRAGUE -- Around 250,000 Czechs attended a rally in Prague against Prime Minister Andrej Babis on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the country's Velvet Revolution.

Protesters from across the Czech Republic joined the November 16 demonstration, the second massive protest opposing Babis at Prague's Letna park.

Many were waving Czech and EU flags.

The demonstrators believe the populist billionaire is a threat to democracy in the country. The 64-year-old Babis is facing accusations of fraud and conflicts of interest.

Babis, who is also the subject of an EU conflict-of-interest investigation, denies any wrongdoing and say there's no reason for him to resign.

The speakers at the November 16 protest, including former dissidents who spoke at the 1989 rallies, said Babis and President Milos Zeman were unfit for office.

The organizers of the protests, a group called A Million Moments for Democracy, put the number of protesters at 300,000, while the police estimated the crowd at about 200,000.

"First and foremost, we want politicians who respect democratic principles and institutions, who do not lie, do not embezzle, do not intimidate, and do not have conflicts of interest," the chairman of the group, Mikulas Minar, said at the protest rally.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/czechs-mark -velvet-revolution-by-protesting-against -prime-minister/30275512.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.