PICS: Thousands rally against government over inflation and sanctions against Russia in EU capital

PRAGUE (AP) – Thousands of people in the Czech Republic rallied against the government on Saturday, protesting high inflation and demanding an end to military support for Ukraine.

The new political group PRO organized a rally on Wenceslas Square in Prague as an action against poverty. When the participants called for the coalition government to resign, party leader Jindrich Reichl said they wanted “the government to take care of the interests of the citizens of the Czech Republic first.”

His group, whose name translates from English as Law, Respect, Expertise, blames the European Union for the sharp rise in energy prices. Inflation eased slightly to 16.7% in the Czech Republic in February from 17.5% a month earlier.

PRO also wants the Czech government to stop taking actions aimed at reducing the spread of disinformation and fake news.

People take part in an anti-government demonstration in Prague on March 11, 2023. — Thousands of people rallied against the Czech government in Prague at an event called “Czech Against Poverty”, organized by the new extra-parliamentary PRO party. The protesters called on Petr Fiala’s centre-right government to resign. They also lashed out at NATO and called for immediate peace in Ukraine, which has been fighting a Russian invasion for more than a year. (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraine was a key issue at Saturday’s demonstration, where the crowd called for a peaceful solution to the war. Some people had the letter Z, the symbol of the Russian army, on their bags.

“Stop the war, stop NATO,” they chanted.

The Czech government has strongly supported the government in Kyiv ever since Russian troops invaded Ukraine. The country provided weapons to the Ukrainian military and took in half a million refugees.

People take part in an anti-government demonstration in Prague on March 11, 2023. — Thousands of people rallied against the Czech government in Prague at an event called “Czech Against Poverty”, organized by the new extra-parliamentary PRO party. (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

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