Hundreds of thousands of people protested in Prague to urge Prime Minister Andrej Babis to resign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Protesters gathered from across the Czech Republic for the capital\u2019s biggest anti-government demonstration since the 1989 pro-democratic Velvet Revolution that brought down the communist regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The demonstration at Letna Park, a site of massive gatherings that significantly contributed to the fall of communism in what 30 years ago was Czechoslovakia, was the largest from two months of street protests opposing Mr Babis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protesters of 2019 said they did not come to overthrow the current political system but to defend it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They consider Mr Babis, a populist billionaire, a threat to democracy, including the independence of the country\u2019s legal system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe demand the resignation of Andrej Babis,\u201d said Mikulas Minar, a student who put his studies on hold to help lead the recent demonstrations organised by a group called Million Moments for Democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Babis has repeatedly said he has no reason to resign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt will likely be a long run,\u201d another organiser, Benjamin Roll, told the crowd. \u201cThe current situation is unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Opposition to Mr Babis has been fueled by the appointment of a new justice minister as prosecutors are deciding whether to indict Mr Babis over alleged fraud involving European Union funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protesters fear the new minister might undermine the independence of the Czech legal system, a threat that has brought the governments of Poland and Romania warnings from the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justice minister Marie Benesova is a close ally of Mr Babis and voted against a police request to strip the prime minister of parliamentary immunity to face a criminal investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A preliminary European Union report leaked in May concluded that Mr Babis might have had a conflict of interest over EU subsidies involving his former business empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Babis denied wrongdoing and accused the EU of trying to destabilise the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides demanding the prime minister and justice minister\u2019s resignations, many of the demonstrators accused Mr Babis and his key ally, president Milos Zeman, of undermining Czech politics and democracy overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Babis also faces allegations he collaborated with Czechoslovakia\u2019s secret police before 1989, as well as criticism of his government\u2019s power-sharing deal with the Communist Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protesters announced another major protest at the same location for November 16 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n