Thousands of people demonstrate in Prague against the Czech government

The Police detain 18 protesters who would have tried to enter the National Museum by force

March 12 () –

Thousands of people have gathered this Saturday in the Czech capital, Prague, to demonstrate under the slogan “Czech Republic against poverty”, calling for the resignation of the Government due to the lack of measures to alleviate the economic crisis and its consequences in society, as well as to demand an end to military support for Ukraine.

The protesters, who have waved Czech flags, have accused the cabinet of Prime Minister Petr Fiala of not taking sufficient measures to combat inflation, CT 24 has reported.

However, after the concentration, part of the participants have moved to the National Museum building, where they have demanded that the Ukrainian flag be removed and a Czech one hung.

“After the end of the demonstration, the situation escalated in front of the National Museum, where we repeatedly called on the protesters to abandon their intention to break into the museum by force,” the Czech police said.

They have also reported that they have arrested about twenty protesters for disobedience to authority, while two agents have been injured.

Interior Minister Vit Rakusan has condemned “the violent attack on the building” of the museum and “the attempt to tear down the Ukrainian flag”, after noting that he understands “people’s fear of poverty and war”.

“Violent demonstrations, like the one we saw at the end of the demonstration, when some of the participants tried to tear down the flag from the national museum building, are totally inadmissible. I hope that the organizers distance themselves from these violent demonstrations,” he said.

Likewise, he added that “it gives the impression that the entire so-called demonstration against poverty was just a cover for the pro-Russian provocation.” “We certainly cannot be tolerant of such demonstrations,” he added.

A smaller group of counter-protesters have carried Ukrainian and NATO flags, as well as banners with slogans against Russian President Vladimir Putin.