Thousands at Anti-Government Protest in Prague demanding an End to the Military Support for Ukraine

Thousands took to the streets of Prague to protest the Czech government, high inflation and demand an end to the country's military support for Ukraine.

The Czech Republic has been struggling with record levels of inflation for a year, mainly due to a spike in energy prices caused by the war in Ukraine. In February, annual inflation in the EU and NATO member of 10.5 million people reached 16.7 percent.

Saturday's "Czechia Against Poverty" rally was organized by a new political party. "We have gathered here today to take a stand against this poverty," Jindrich Rajchl, a lawyer who leads the non-parliamentary PRO party, told the crowd in central Wenceslas Square. Protesters called for the centre-right government of Petr Fiala to resign, and Rajchl said he wanted leaders who "look after the interests of Czech citizens first".

Critics accuse Fiala's government of caring more about Ukraine with significant military and humanitarian aid sent to the war-torn country since the invasion began in February 2022. Protesters also criticized NATO, with Czech media reporting that a protester using a loudspeaker called on the crowd to tear down the Ukrainian flag from the top of the National Museum building on Wenceslas Square.