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Anti-gov’t rallies dominate Velvet Revolution anniversary

  12:08

The Velvet Revolution anniversary saw a number of demonstrations calling for the government to resign over graft, unpopular reforms

The demonstration on Prague’s Old Town Square was organized by the main opposition center-left Social Democrats (ČSSD) and the Communist Party (KSČM) foto: © ČTKČeská pozice

Thousands of Czechs called on the center-right government to resign over perceived corruption and government budget cuts at rallies held in Prague, Brno and Ostrava on Thursday – a national holiday (Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day) marking the anniversary of the start of the Velvet Revolution, a series of events that led to the end of the communist regime in 1989.

The largest demonstration took place on Prague’s Wenceslas Square. Organized by the ProAlt civic movement and trade unions, police said 2,000 attended though organizers put the number at around 4,000. On Prague’s Old Town Square, left-wing activists, led by the Labor and Solidarity Alliance (SPS), staged a “funeral of the illusion of democracy.”

Shortly after noon, between 300 and 500 left-wing demonstrators, some carrying flags with the portrait of Latin American revolutionary Che Guevara, gathered on Old Town Square for a demonstration organized by the opposition parties, the Social Democrats (ČSSD) and Communists (KSČM). Among others addressing the crowd were KSČM chairman Vojtěch Filip and ČSSD members Bohuslav Sobotka (party chairman), Jan Kavan (an ex-foreign minister) and Jiří Dienstbier (senator) — who rates in polls as one of the most-trusted Czech politicians.

‘In 1989 this square was full, but over 20 years [the spirit] has been lost. People are apathetic and have lost interests in public developments,’“It’s not good to bury the ideals upon which [the revolution of] November 17 stood,” Dienstbier said, in a nod to the SPS’ symbolic coffin, adding that democracy cannot function without social balances. “In 1989 this square was full, but over 20 years it’s been lost. People are apathetic and have lost interests in public developments.” 

Sobotka drew jeers from some in the crowd after saying he didn’t care for the funeral procession, arguing that it’s necessary to fight to strengthen democratic institutions. He went on to announce the ČSSD had as of last week collected over 50,000 signatures calling for the resignation of the three-party coalition government led by Petr Nečas (Civic Democrats, ODS) — and a halt to its pension system reforms.

Petr Uhl, a left-wing journalist and former dissident who spent nine years in prison in the communist era, was also among the speakers: “Dear opponents of capitalism, let’s unite and together oppose the arrogant dismantling of the social state,” he said.   

Alternative on Wenceslas Square

Many of the demonstrators from Old Town Square then walked to the top of Wenceslas Square, where the ProAlt, (meaning For Alternative) civic movement and trade unions organized a demonstration under the slogan “Change Is Possible.”      

‘You were on the streets for solidarity and freedom. What you got was freedom without solidarity, freedom of corrupted capitalism’A representative of the Czech and Moravian Trade Unions Confederation (ČMKOS), Stanislav Antoniv, criticized the media, which he said largely portray there being no alternative to the center-right coalition.

“We know that tax reform can be done differently, as can pension reform and changes to health care and labor rights. I therefore call upon the government to do the only thing they can for this nation – to step down and resign.”       

The crowd responded with loud applause and chants of “Disgrace! Disgrace!” directed at the government.

Prominent support

The most prominent speaker on Wenceslas Square on Thursday was Slovenian left-wing philosopher Slavoj Žižek, who was an opponent of the Yugoslav communist regime before its downfall. He said people are now forced to accept that socialism was only an illusion: “However, the current events from Egypt to Wall Street say that the struggle has not ended and continues.”       

“You were on the streets for solidarity and freedom. What you got was freedom without solidarity, freedom of corrupted capitalism,” Žižek, said about the events of 1989.

“Remember that some people here in their youth fought for ‘socialism with a human face’ but it wasn’t successful. Capitalism with a human face will also not work,” Žižek, an advocate of a fresh interpretation of Marx and Engels, said. He claimed that capitalism works better with less democracy, but is most effective without democracy, which the current situation in China demonstrates.       

The Slovenian philosopher and university lecturer received the loudest applause when he announced that democracy does exist, “but only for the rich.”

The demonstrators were comprised of a cross section of generations and some brought their children with them. Placards baring town names indicated that people had made long journeys to attend. Police put the number of demonstrators on Wenceslas Square at around 2,000. “We reckon there are up to 4,000,” ProAlt organizer, Tereza Stöckelová told the server idnes.cz. The demonstration ended with the crowd chanting “resign, resign.”  

ProAlt and ČMKOS also organized a demonstration in Brno, where journalists estimated attendance at around 500. In the third largest Czech city, Ostrava, ProAlt organized a demonstration together with the city’s transport union. “The government lives, the country rots,” and “This government is our grave,” were among the slogans on placards. The crowd in Ostrava was estimated at around 300. All the demonstrations passed peacefully.

According to an opinion poll commissioned by Czech Television (ČT) and published on Thursday, 59 percent of respondents said they “definitely agreed” with the following assertion: “Much better conditions have emerged for corruption after 1989.” Thirty percent said they “mostly agreed,” 9 percent “mostly disagreed,” and only two percent said they “definitely disagreed.”

See related article: The Velvet Revolution and Masaryk’s dream for ‘50 years of peace’

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