Czechs mark 84th anniversary of Nazi occupation

Czechia on Wednesday marked the 84th anniversary of the start of the Nazi occupation of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. A commemorative ceremony at the main square in the Prague Castle district was attended by representatives of the Czech Army, the German ambassador to Prague and members of both houses of Parliament.

The day after the German occupation the region was renamed the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, which was part of Hitler’s Third Reich.

Senate speaker Miloš Vystrčil, who took part in the Hradčany ceremony, said the country’s history was a lesson to the whole of Europe. He said everything had started far earlier than March 1939, when the big countries thought they could retreat and make peace with evil.