The rally follows two others in Prague’s central Wenceslas Square and was smaller than the 70,000 who gathered for the same reasons on September 3, according to police estimates. Under the slogan “Czech Republic First”, a reference to former US President Donald Trump’s nationalist platform, the protest united the far right with the far left and various fringe groups. Its organizers are known for their pro-Russian views and opposition to vaccines against COVID-19. With rising energy, food and housing prices hitting the country, protesters have been demanding the resignation of the coalition government led by conservative Prime Minister Petr Fiala. “I quit!” they chanted waving the national flags. Protesters have repeatedly condemned the government for its support for Ukraine and European Union sanctions against Russia, oppose the Czech Republic’s membership in the EU, NATO and other international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization. “Russia is not our enemy, the warmonger government is the enemy,” said one speaker. A smaller rally was held in the country’s second largest city, Brno. The government rejected these requests. “We know who is our friend and who is bleeding for our freedom,” tweeted Interior Minister Vit Rakuzan. “And we also know who our enemy is.” The Czech Republic has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, donating heavy weapons to the Ukrainian military and giving some 450,000 visas to Ukrainian refugees that give them access to health care, financial aid, work permits and other benefits. Fiala and several ministers planned to travel to Kyiv on Monday for a joint meeting of the Czech and Ukrainian governments. “We strongly support the justified struggle of the Ukrainian people against Russian aggression,” Fiala said on Saturday. Although the country’s populist opposition made some gains in municipal elections last month, the five parties in the ruling coalition won significantly in votes earlier this month for a third of the seats in parliament’s upper house, the Senate.
