Thousands rally in Slovakia to protest a controversial overhaul of public broadcasting

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Thousands of Slovaks rallied in the capital on Thursday to protest – again – a controversial overhaul of the country’s public radio and television services, a move that critics say would result in the government taking full control of the media.

The coalition government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico approved the measure on April 24, and the Parliament, where Fico’s coalition government has a majority, is expected to approve it in June.

The plan has been widely criticized by President Zuzana Čaputová, local journalists, the opposition, international media organizations and the European Commission.

The proposed changes would mean the public broadcaster known as RTVS would cease to exist and be replaced by a new organization.

“The Slovak democracy needs a strong and independent RTVS and its employees need your support,” Michal Šimečka, the head of Progressive Slovakia, the major opposition party that organized the protest, told a crowd of several thousands at Bratislava Freedom Square.