Government approves extra money for police to handle demonstrations

The government has approved a proposal by Interior Minister Jan Kubice to increase the budget of the Prague police by 15 million crowns in order to better handle anti-government protests. The bulk of the amount, 10 million crowns, is intended to cover police overtime and standby duty, with another three requested for insurance and two million for fuel, transport and catering for the police during demonstrations. The minister told the cabinet that with its decreased budget it lacks the funding for out of the ordinary events. An anti-government demonstration at Wenceslas Square on April 21 drew tens of thousands of people and was likely the largest protest since the Velvet Revolution in 1989.