Mass protests have been held in the Czech Republic against government plans to change the funding system for public television and radio, Czech Television reports.
Demonstrations took place in Prague, Brno, Liberec and České Budějovice.
The largest protest was held in Old Town Square, located in the historic center of the capital, Prague.
According to the Million Moments for Democracy civic initiative, which organized the protests, approximately 10,000 people participated in the demonstration in Prague and 4,000 in Brno.
Participants criticized government policies and waved Czech, European Union and Ukrainian flags. Protesters carried placards bearing slogans such as "Hands off public media."
The protests were triggered by the Czech parliament's lower house passing a bill on public media funding in its first reading on October 24.
Under the proposed changes, Czech Television and Czech Radio would be funded directly from the state budget rather than through subscription fees collected from citizens.
Protesters believe the changes would increase public media's dependence on the government and weaken editorial independence.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš rejected the accusations.
"There is no war against independent media. There is no fight for democracy, and there are no plans to nationalize the media," he said.
The bill has also faced opposition from liberal parties in the parliamentary opposition, cultural figures and local representatives of the Catholic Church.
Protest organizers plan to hold a larger demonstration in Prague's Letná Square on November 15.
Employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio have announced plans to hold a one-day strike on November 3.
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