Protesters attempt to storm Czech lower house over public media funding bill

Several dozen protesters tried to force their way into the Czech Chamber of Deputies in Prague on Friday evening, police spokeswoman Eva Kropacova said, as parliament prepared to vote on a bill that would change how Czech Television and Radio are financed.

Special law enforcement units intervened to stop the attempted entry. No one was detained and the situation was brought under control, Kropacova said, citing the Novinky news portal.

Several hundred activists had gathered on Malostranske Square in front of the lower house for a rally ahead of the vote.

The government coalition bill would end the long-standing system of collecting concession fees from owners of television and radio receivers, replacing it with direct allocation from the state budget. Protesters argue the change would deprive Czech Television and Radio of independence from the government and significantly restrict their operations.