Czechs rally against plan to switch funding of public media26 minutes agoRachel Flynn
Reuters A huge Czech flag covering hundreds of people at a rally Reuters
Czech radio said it's the largest protest in the history of the independent Czech Republic

Thousands of people have gathered in central Prague to protest against the Czech government's plans to scrap the license fee and use the state budget to fund public media.

Critics say the plans would allow politicians to stifle media freedom.

The coalition government - which consists of the populist ANO party and two right-wing Eurosceptic parties - insists the change will not affect editorial independence, but wants broadcasters to cut costs.