Prague is preparing for what organizers say could be one of the city’s biggest demonstrations in years.
A Million Moments for Democracy, the NGO behind Saturday’s planned rally on Letna Plain, says Czechs must defend democratic institutions — including NGOs — from growing illiberalism in Central Europe. The group warned in a press release that “the erosion of democracy in the Czech Republic is advancing faster than we thought” and said citizens should not stand by “while oligarchs and extremists threaten the future of our country.”
Letna Plain is a symbolic site: it hosted massive anti-Communist protests in November 1989, and a 2019 demonstration against the previous Andrej Babiš government drew almost 300,000 people. Organizers hope for a comparable turnout this weekend.
At the center of concern is a draft “foreign agent” law under discussion in parliament. NGOs and campaigners say the measures echo Russian-style restrictions on civil society and would stigmatize legitimate cross-border cooperation, chill activism and grant the state sweeping supervisory powers with inadequate judicial safeguards.
People in Need, the country’s largest NGO, warned the proposals would stigmatize international cooperation and deter civil-society work. Its co-founder and executive director, Simon Panek, told DW the draft mirrors many elements of Russia’s legislation and called it “the instrument that authoritarians and dictators use to control society.” He stressed the organization already operates under Czech law while running humanitarian, development and human-rights programs in over 40 countries.
Under the current draft, a broad range of organizations and individuals with foreign ties or funding would have to register as “foreign agents.” Noncompliance could trigger fines up to 15 million crowns (about €612,000/$701,000) or up to 10% of annual revenue. Critics say the law appears aimed at human-rights and advocacy groups while conspicuously excluding foreign media — a loophole they say could let hostile propaganda operate unchecked.
The draft has been associated with people close to Babiš: one drafter, Natalie Vachatova, is described in Czech media as a pro-Russian activist and Babiš’s “free speech” adviser. Babiš has rejected comparisons with Russia, saying the law would not target NGOs that help with social services but would prevent political NGOs from engaging in partisan activity. He and allied lawmakers frame the measure as a transparency step to reveal “who pays for what” and to protect democracy from foreign influence. Radek Vondráček, an ANO party lawmaker, told Czech television that while free debate is democracy’s strength, undisclosed foreign funding can act like “steroids” for lobbying groups, creating vulnerabilities.
Opponents say the draft is so broad it could theoretically ensnare beekeepers or ordinary people posting on social media. Government supporters counter that what circulated in the media is a discussion draft rather than a finished bill.
Regional watchdogs and NGOs see familiar patterns. András Lederer of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee said labeling civil-society groups is a well-known tool of illiberal regimes designed to erode credibility and imply they serve foreign rather than public interests. He called potential sanctions a “sword of Damocles” over organizations that receive foreign funding.
Similar laws have faced legal pushback elsewhere: Hungary’s 2017 law was repealed after the European Court of Justice found it breached EU rules on free movement of capital and services. Slovakia’s foreign-agent-style law, adopted under Robert Fico’s government in June 2025, was struck down by the Constitutional Court in December 2025. Slovak NGOs reviewing the Czech draft called it a copy of Russia’s law; Katarína Batková of Via Iuris said it resembled legislation used in Georgia to punish NGOs.
Public anger at perceived threats to democracy has already drawn large crowds this year: in February, thousands across Czechia rallied in support of President Petr Pavel amid tensions with the government. Critics of Babiš argue mass demonstrations in 2019 sent a powerful message and hope another strong turnout will make the government think twice about measures that could curtail civil society.
Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan