An anti-government protest in Czech capital draws thousands

People gather for an anti-government demonstration at the Vencesla's Square in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 11, 2023. Thousands of Czechs rallied on Saturday in the capital against the government, protesting high inflation and demanding the country's end of military support for Ukraine invaded by Russia. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

 PJ

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

A new political group, PRO, organized the rally at Prague's Wenceslas Square as an anti-poverty event. As participants called on the coalition government to resign, party leader Jindrich Rajchl said they want “a government to care first of all about the interests of the Czech citizens.”

His group, whose name translates in English to Law, Respect, Expertise, blames the European Union for soaring energy prices. Inflation slightly dropped to 16.7% in Czechia in February from 17.5% a month earlier.

PRO also wants the Czech government to stop taking actions that are intended to reduce misinformation and fake news.

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,” a symbol of the Russian military, on their bags.

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

The Czech Republic has staunchly supported the government in Kyiv since Russian troops invaded Ukraine. The country has provided weapons for the Ukrainian military and taken in a half-million refugees.

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