Thousands of people took to the streets of Prague on Monday to protest against the right-wing populist government of billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
Organizers from the Million Moments for Democracy movement accused the government of failing to do enough to strengthen national security and combat disinformation.
"We must not underestimate the danger posed by Russia and pretend that it has nothing to do with us," movement leader Mikuláš Minář said.
The demonstration took place on Prague's Old Town Square, where protesters waved European Union flags as well as Czech and Ukrainian flags.
Organizers urged a strong turnout in municipal elections and elections for one-third of the Senate on October 9 and 10, while calling on voters to reject populist and extremist parties.
Another focus of criticism was Babiš' potential conflict of interest as the founder of a major business conglomerate, despite having placed his assets in a trust fund.
The protesters also opposed government plans to finance public broadcasters directly from the state budget.
Babis recently sparked further controversy with comments questioning the independence of the judiciary. He spoke of a "mafia that locks people up to order" and judges who "decide without evidence."
Associations representing lawyers and judges reacted angrily, describing the comments as an attack on the judiciary.
The Czech Republic has been governed since December by a coalition comprising Babiš' ANO movement and two smaller parties on the right: the Motorists for Themselves party and the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement.
At the European level, ANO is part of the Patriots for Europe group alongside France's National Rally and Hungary's Fidesz.
