"Hysteria that nobody cares about." Zeman defended Babiš over the cancellation of fees

Former President Miloš Zeman dismissed protests against the abolition of broadcasting fees as hysteria, asserting that it poses no threat to freedom of speech. He emphasized that many EU countries fund public media through state budgets without restricting media freedom. Zeman criticized the opposition's protests as hypocritical, recalling a past censorship incident that went unprotested. Meanwhile, a large demonstration for media independence took place in Prague, where organizers condemned the government's late-night legislative process. Activist Mikuláš Minář called for a public debate on funding changes and urged the government to retract the proposed law.