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Crowds Rally in Czechia and Slovakia on Velvet Revolution Anniversary

The marches coincided with President Petr Pavel signaling he could refuse to appoint Andrej Babiš.

Overview

  • Organizers reported up to 50,000 in Bratislava as demonstrators denounced democratic backsliding, criticized austerity measures, and urged renewed military aid to Ukraine.
  • Opposition parties and NGOs, including Initiative Mier Ukrajine, coordinated rallies across multiple Slovak cities.
  • In Prague, thousands rallied against election winner Andrej Babiš, accusing him of planning a government built on “mafia-like” structures.
  • Czech President Petr Pavel signaled he may refuse to appoint Babiš, citing a conflict of interest tied to the billionaire’s subsidized agribusiness.
  • A student’s chalk message sparked a viral “Kreidenrevolution” with images of anti-government slogans shared widely online in Slovakia.