Almost 120.000 Czechs gathered yesterday on Wenceslas Square in Prague for the largest civil protest against Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and the new Minister of Justice Maria Benešova, called "We've had enough. Resignation!".
Many Praguers and Czechs from inland cities were driven out onto the streets by the report of the European Commission controller, according to which Prime Minister Babiš is in a conflict of interest, and the Czech Republic is threatened with having to return millions of euros in subsidies paid to the Prime Minister's concern "Agrofert".
In addition to the previous demands, the "Million Moments for Democracy" association, which has been organizing demonstrations in Prague, Brno and other major cities in the Czech Republic for a month and a half now, when the conflict of interest was confirmed by the European Commission's report, added that the "Agrofert" concern should be suspended. subsidies, to return all the European subsidies that he has unjustifiably received so far, and also for Babis to sell all the media he has.
Demonstrators, who filled almost the entire large Wenceslas Square, carried banners with messages such as "Everyone steals, I only take subsidies", "We are not your doughnuts", alluding to the fact that the prime minister distributes donuts at his election rallies, and they chanted "Resignation" and " We are not blind".
"The prime minister is in a huge conflict of interest. He is a man who deals in business, owns the media, and is also being prosecuted. The prime minister should resign until he clears his name before the court," said the president of the "Million Moments" association before the protest for democracy" Mikulaš Minarž.
The demonstrators, encouraged by the mass participation, plan to organize the next protest in the only larger space in Prague - in Letna Park.
"There is no reason for protests. It was not pleasant, but I accept it. What can I do. They are demonstrating on the basis of lies, things that are not true. But I cannot convince these people," Babis said yesterday.
The Prime Minister, who previously experienced unpleasant moments in the parliament yesterday when the deputies discussed whether to completely suspend subsidies to Babiš's concern "Agrofert", which in the end did not pass, told the daily "Pravo" that he does not follow the demonstrations and that he believes that since it's a good time, people go to their concerts, since popular Czech artists also take part in the protests.
"The report is very suspicious, I consider it an attack on the Czech Republic, the destabilization of the Czech Republic. I guarantee you that you will not have to pay anything. When you cannot defeat us in the elections, you are trying to smear us," Babiš said in the Parliament and said that he would not speculates whether the report that he is in a conflict of interest as prime minister is an attack from Brussels on the entire Visegrad group in the EU.
The Czech Prime Minister emphasized that there is no evidence that he influenced the awarding of European grants, and he also reminded that based on a special Czech law, the so-called Lex Babiš, in order not to be in a conflict of interest, transferred his concern "Agrofert" and the media house "Mafra" to a special trust fund.
The EC's preliminary report after the inspection following the application of Transparency International and the Czech Pirate Party, however, sees the problem in the fact that Babiš is the only beneficiary of the profits of "Agrofert", and also has influence on the management of the fund, while at the same time as prime minister he decides together with the government on the distribution system of European money to which the Czech Republic is entitled.
"I would never do anything like that. I'm not a fool. I've never done it, I work for people for free. Brussels interprets our laws. A suspicious, failed and untrue report that has elements of an attack against the Czech Republic. It's endangering the Czech Republic, Czech companies. We need this nonsense which came to us from Brussels to reject with strong arguments," he said yes
as Babiš in the parliament.
Babiš, the second richest businessman in the Czech Republic, still as Minister of Finance in the previous government because of the law adopted on the occasion of his conflict of interest in the Czech Republic, the so-called In 2017, Leks Babiš was forced to transfer Agrofert and the Mafra publishing house, whose owner it is, to a newly established trust fund.
However, the Czech opposition Pirate Party and Transparencies reported to the European Commission, as soon as the new guideline on the conflict of interest of European officials came into force in the summer of 2018, that Babiš could be in a conflict of interest because all benefits and income from the fund still go to Babiš and he, as prime minister, has an influence, even if indirect, on the allocation of European grants.
The Czech Ministry of Finance, headed by Alena Šilerova from Babiš's ANO party, at the end of last year, when such a request was presented by the European Parliament, temporarily suspended requests for the payment of Eurogrants to Agrofert, in order not to give reason to suspend grants to the entire Czech Republic.
However, this only means that subsidies, and those that would normally be paid by the EU, are temporarily paid by Czech taxpayers.
Gallery
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
