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Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Prague on Saturday against the policies and plans of the new Czech government led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, according to the event organizers and a report by The Associated Press. The protesters came from across the Czech Republic to march at Letná park, a site known for huge gatherings in 1989 that helped contribute to the fall of communism, organizers said.

In their messaging, participants said they were expressing alarm about what they described as the direction of the government and its coalition cabinet. Organizers and speakers said they fear Babiš, described as a billionaire, and his partners pose a threat to democracy and would steer the country away from supporting Ukraine and toward an autocratic path.

Organizers estimated the crowd at 200,000 people, with demonstrators waving Czech national flags and displaying banners including one that read, “Let’s defend democracy.” Mikuláš Minář, the head organizer from the Million Moments for Democracy group, said the rally was a stand against “dragging our country onto the path of Slovakia and Hungary,” referring to what he characterized as pro-Russia and autocratic leanings in those countries.

The Babiš-led government came after Babiš returned to power following his ANO, or YES, movement’s success in the country’s October election. Babiš then formed a coalition with two smaller political groups: the Freedom and Direct Democracy anti-migrant party and the right-wing Motorists for Themselves, organizers and the report said, adding that the new alliance has started to redefine the government’s foreign and domestic policies.

The protest cited a series of policy disputes and legislative plans attributed to the government. The report said Babiš has opposed some key European Union policies on environment and migration and has rejected financial aid for Ukraine and guarantees for EU loans for the country fighting Russia’s invasion, aligning with Prime Ministers Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Robert Fico of Slovakia.

Organizers and speakers also pointed to a government bill that critics say is inspired by a Russian “foreign agents” law. The bill would, according to the report, require nongovernmental organizations and individuals involved in vaguely defined political activity to register or face large fines, and Václav Pačes, the former head of the Academy of Sciences, told the crowd that the law “can easily be used to restrict personal freedom.”

Another item on the protest’s agenda, according to the report, was a plan to change the funding of public radio and television. Many protesters said they believe that move would give the government control of the broadcasters.

Organizers said the decision to hold the rally was also shaped by recent parliamentary actions that they described as dividing the country. They said lawmakers rejected a motion to lift Babiš’s immunity from prosecution in a $2 million fraud case involving EU subsidies; approval, organizers said, would have allowed a court to issue a verdict earlier, but the rejection meant Babiš could be tried only after his term in the lower house expires in 2029.

The report said lawmakers also refused to allow for the prosecution of lower house Speaker Tomio Okamura, head of the Freedom party, on charges of inciting hatred. The Million Moments group said those decisions divide the nation into two categories: “the ordinary people and the untouchables.”

Among the attendees was Michael Černohlávek, a 19-year-old student, who said he came to defend “something that is extremely important” to him. He said he believes people should not take the system that provides “our freedom” for granted and that it matters for him personally to protect it.

Organizers said more protests are planned to follow.