Czechia celebrates 35 years since the Velvet Revolution and the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia
November 17th this year is the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, the events of late 1989 through which Czechoslovakia transitioned from a one-party communist state to a democratic and capitalist country.
The day is being marked with memorials, concerts and demonstrations across the country, with a particular focus being Prague’s Národní Street, the central thoroughfare where a student protest on this day sparked the revolution. The day also commemorates 85 years since the Nazis’ storming and closure of Czech universities, an assault on Czech liberties that was motivated by a student march to commemorate the killing of Jan Opletal by the Nazi occupiers. The events of 1939 would go on to inspire the students of 1989, fifty years later. What the students on Národní started would culminate with the fall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, the return of free elections, and the election of dissident Václav Havel as president.
The 17th is now a public holiday, called the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day, as well as being International Students' Day. Since the early morning, people have been gathering on Národní Street to remember the events of November 1989. Many have lit candles and laid flowers and wreaths at the memorial outside the Schirdingovský palác, where the worst police assaults on students took place. President Pavel visited to pay his respects, as did Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, Mayor of Prague Bohuslav Svoboda, and Andrej Babiš, leader of the opposition ANO party.
Emotions have run high on Národní, and the political leaders have been met with mixed reactions, with applause from some and shouts and whistles from others. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan, also present, commented that freedom includes the right to criticise and shout at politicians, and that Czechs must continue to fight for that freedom. Prime Minister Fiala stated that freedom "is not for free".
The commemorations have by no means been limited to Prague, with many events taking place across the country. Among them, Brno is hosting its Brněnský Sedmnáctý festival, with a varied programme of musical acts. In Plzeň, an all-day programme has put on a special Mass in the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, a public debate, a detective game and a light installation. The city of Zlín is holding its Festival of Freedom, including a tour with actor Rostislav Marek, a participant in the events of 1989.
Back in Prague, at the Černín Palace, thirteen individuals and three institutions and organisations received awards from Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský in a special ceremony. Outgoing Vice-President of the European Commission Věra Jourová, President of the State Office for Nuclear Safety Dana Drábová, and the Financial Analysis Office were among the recipients. In the evening, the non-profit organisation Post Bellum will also hand out its annual Memory of the Nation awards.
The day has also seen an anti-government protest on Wenceslas Square, where around two hundred people gathered in front of the National Museum in Prague, to show their disagreement with the Ukrainian flag currently displayed outside the building, and with the government's programme of support for the country currently under attack from Russia. At the same time, on Prague’s Old Town Square, several thousand people attended a demonstration organised by Million Moments for Democracy, called ‘Let’s Remain the Democratic Heart of Europe’. Ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections, the organisers and participants want to warn the general public about the rise of authoritarian leaders. November 17th therefore demonstrates the divisions within modern Czech society, yet also the freedoms of political identity and expression that the events of November 1989 won for the country.
