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 AP reports.

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.

“If Fico takes control of RTVS, it would mean a decisive step on the way towards Orbán and Putin,“ Šimečka said.

Under her plan, the new broadcaster — Slovak television and radio, or STVR — will have a director selected by a council whose nine members will be nominated by the Culture Ministry and Parliament. The current director has a parliamentary mandate until 2027.