Czechs celebrate 25 years of freedom since the Velvet Revolution

Czechs on Monday commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution of 1989 that ushered in the return of democracy to the country. The Czech Republic will pay tribute to the “victims” of a transitional period that was painful for many.

SocialDemocrat Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka told media that much has been accomplished since 1989; however, there were also a number of victims of the transition who lost their jobs.

“There are provinces like Moravia and Silesia with high unemployment rates, so there are still things to do, challenges to face and opportunities to seize,” Sobotka said.

Accompanied by members of his centerleft coalition government, Sobotka laid a wreath at a memorial in the capital Prague that commemorates members of the student movement who were harshly repressed by security forces on the night of Nov. 17, 1989.

The Prime minister added that Czechs are enjoying their democratic freedom nowadays, through which they can change their government; something that was not possible before 1989.

He emphasized that there is a need for a concept of the state in which its public heritage is not subjected to pillage; a state that respects people’s dignity and guarantees proper conditions for its citizens.

The prime minister also clarified that 1989 witnessed a great sense of nationhood, public interest, and solidarity among people, while he pointed out that the country remained united in the search for freedom and democracy.

Former Czech President Vaclav Klaus also commented on the protests of Nov. 17, 1989, which he considered a decisive day for an entire generation, both in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, adding that he never wanted to forget that day, and never wanted the memory of that period to be taken from him.

Regarding public opinion, Klaus said that he did not believe that people are disappointed because every person forgets about the past, which is basically a matter of individual liberty.

Prague witnessed twenty rallies and demonstrations on Monday, including a concert by pop stars and comedy numbers that satirized the former totalitarian regime that ruled Czechoslovakia with an iron fist.

There will also be a human chain through the city center to evoke the historical moment when the postwar Communist regime was finally driven from the political scene.

Czech Republic’s President Milos Zeman will also meet on Monday with his counterparts from the Visegrad Group, which includes the Slovakian, Polish, Hungarian and German presidents.

The organization known as Post Bellum will organize several events on Monday to pay tribute to the people who were persecuted during the Communist era, among which were Germans, Slovaks, Poles and Hungarians.