The Velvet Revolution, the Fall of Communism, occurred here in the Czech Republic, 20 years ago on this day. Today is a huge day in the history of this country. There are many events planned here in Prague to commemorate this important life changing event. Vaclav Havel, the first president of the new Republic, was a student dissident "fighting" for freedom and the end to Communism at that time 20 years ago. It succeeded. Their freedom occurred just 8 days after the Berlin wall fell just to the West.
Today, there will be a reenactment of the student march of that day, starting in Albertov, south Prague, then following the route of the student march of November 17, 1989 that ended in a clash with the Czechoslovak communist police. There will be addresses by former and present students and artists along the route. Its final stop will be the Národní avenue where the then students' march was brutally suppressed by the communist police.
In a recent interview, former Czechoslovak communist high-ranking official Miroslav Stepan, now 64, believes that former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev betrayed socialism and dealt the fatal blow to European socialist states, and the end of Communist rule in Europe. Of course, he DID!! Thank you Gorby!!
Stepan was the chief of the Prague branch of the Communist Party (KSC) until 1989 when he was accused and later imprisoned over his responsibility for the brutal suppression of a student demonstration in Prague centre on November 17, 1989, which triggered a chain of massive protests calling for the end of the communist rule, now known as the Velvet Revolution, which ended the communist oppression and occupation.
There will be an area of Prague near the National Theatre that will be closed off in order to have a massive public pop concert in celebration of this anniversary. The concert starts at 18:00(6pm) today. It is said that these celebrations will be the most massive of its kind in Czech history, or so says the local media.
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