Prague braces for further anti-lockdown protests

Hundreds of police officers will oversee the organizers’ demonstrations on Wednesday, October 28, in the center of Prague. Protests or recessionary actions should take place in Republic Square, Old Town Square, and Klárov. Protesters primarily want to oppose government measures imposed due to the coronavirus epidemic. The police do not expect the protests to end in violent clashes like they did nine days ago. The Prague City Council called on the participants in the events to strictly adhere to anti-coronavirus measures.

“We believe in a calm course of protests,” Danek said. According to him, the police will supervise all rallies and will also cooperate with city police officers. Representatives of the Prague City Hall will also arrive at the event. So far, four protests or recessions actions have been reported on its website. The municipality limited the number of their participants to a hundred according to government regulations.

“Given the current epidemic situation and government regulations, the Prague City Hall is urging the public to consider attending these rallies and, if people plan to attend, to adhere to the restrictions set by a government resolution strictly,” City Hall spokesman Vít Hofman said in a press release. According to him, the town hall negotiated with the protests’ conveners and adjusted them to suit the current conditions. Some organizers canceled their meetings.

Five minutes before noon, a demonstration in Republic Square called the Demonstration for Freedom and Truth, condemning terror and manipulation, is set to begin. Organizers said on Facebook that government measures against the covid-19 epidemic are not working but are destroying lives and devastating the state. 

According to them, the state bullys and scares people. “Treatment should never have worse consequences than illness! We do not want to live for years in fear and insecurity! We must return politicians to the constitutional dormitory,” the event said. Over 500 people have stated on Facebook that they will take part in the event, and another 2,400 have expressed interest in it.

In the Old Town Square, the organizers announced an assembly to march on Hradčanské Square. However, the parade canceled the municipality due to restrictions, leaving only the initial action. The recessionary celebration of Celebrating with Miloš !, the participants of which later had to go in the same direction, turned out to be the same. The protest convened at Klárov, which was to take place in front of the Straka Academy, did not escape the restrictions. The participants wanted to pass on the demands of the Czech Republic citizens to the government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

According to October 22, a maximum of 100 participants can attend the peaceful assembly in groups of 20 people. Protesters must keep spacing between groups, and all must have veils.

The last protest in Prague, which took place on October 18 in the Old Town Square, ended violently. Some protesters clashed with police after the official end of the demostration. They threw bottles, stones, trash cans, and firecrackers at the police. The police used tear gas, a water cannon, and emergency explosives, pushing them out with horses and vehicles. More than 140 people were detained after the demonstration, two of whom were charged with a crime. Police and protesters took the injuries.