Today at 6 PM Brno’s citizens plan to gather at Náměstí Svobody to express their disapproval with current political affairs. The protest “It’s Up to Us” is a continue of “Proč? Proto!” political demonstration that took part in the cities across the country last week.
The organizers write on their Facebook: “The president is returning from China where he went to “learn to stabilize a society”. Let’s go welcome him and remind him of his unfulfilled tasks: 1) Study the Czech Constitution; 2) Dismiss Minister of Finance; 3) Say sorry to the Czech citizens for failing to resolve and prolonging the governmental crisis.” Under the Czech constitution, the President cannot refuse a Prime Minister’s demand to have a minister dismissed. Zeman however seems to seek to postpone the dismissal for the time after the parliamentary elections in fall 2017.
According to the organizers, both gentlemen (President Zeman and Minister of Finance Babiš) have gone too far in their ruthlessness and striving for power and property.
In the past weeks, the Czech public discussion was ruled by the leaked tape recordings, allegedly of the Finance Minister and leader of “ANO” political party Andrej Babiš plotting how to release damaging information in the press he owned at the time. Another leaked tape shows Babiš involved in private discussions with unknown number of people while bad mouthing Social Democrat ministers labeling Minister of Foreign Affairs Lubomír Zaorálek as an “idiot” and among others attacking investigative journalist Sabina Slonková.
The demonstrations last week featured 4 000 people in Brno and over 20 000 protesters in Prague.
