Thousands of people protested today in Prague against the Czech government and poverty at an event held under the slogan "Czech Republic Against Poverty" and organized by the new political party "Law. Respect. Professionalism" (PUP), reported AFP.

"We have gathered today to rise up against this poverty," Indrich Reichl, a lawyer and leader of the PUP party, which organized the rally, told a crowd gathered in Prague's Wenceslas Square.

The Czech Republic has faced record levels of inflation over the past year, mainly due to a spike in energy prices caused by the war in Ukraine, AFP notes.

A protest in support of Ukraine was held in Prague

In February, annual inflation in the country with 10.5 million inhabitants, a member of the European Union and NATO, reached 16.7 percent, BTA reported.

Demonstrators called on the government of centre-right Prime Minister Petar Fiala to resign, and Indrich Reichl said he wanted a government that "is concerned above all with the interests of Czech citizens".

Demonstrators also criticized NATO and called for immediate peace in Ukraine, which has been fighting a Russian invasion for more than a year.

Czech media reported that a protester using a megaphone called on the crowd to tear down the Ukrainian flag hanging from the National Museum building in the square.

Opponents of Peter Fiala's government claim that he cares more about Ukraine than his own people.

The Czech Republic has sent significant military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, according to AFP.