Thousands of people turned out to demonstrate against the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico in Slovakia on Thursday.
The protests in Bratislava were directed against government plans to overhaul the public broadcaster RTVS.
Liberal opposition parties Progressive Slovakia (PS) called for the demonstrations.
Party leader Michal Šimečka told RTVS television the government's plan was a threat to democracy in the country.
The plan has been widely criticized by opposition politicians, journalists, media organizations and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), to which RTVS belongs, also criticized the plans as a threat to media independence.
Slovakian President Zuzana Čaputová has also spoken out against the proposed legislation.
Critics accuse the government of wanting to replace RTVS, which is considered objective and trustworthy in opinion polls, with a compliant propaganda broadcaster for the government.
The final decision can only be taken by parliament, in which the governing parties have a sufficient majority. A parliamentary decision is expected in June.