Prague cuts subsidies for theatres

Prague's councillor for culture Milan Richter wants to cut state subsidies for a number of the city's theatres and privatise some of them. Since early April theatre people have been protesting against the measures. Poet and photographer Igor Malijevský criticises Richter's plans as "an act of widespread liquidation of Prague's cultural institutions. The damage will extend far beyond Prague. The culture of the capital hasn't been under threat like this since the times of communist 'normalisation'. And there are other similarities with the era of the communist exterminators. Today's liquidators are poorly educated, they are arrogant, and the city council is once again dominated by a single party [the conservative ODS]. Only the instruments being used are different to those of the past. Today's liquidators are using economic rather than ideological arguments."

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