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The Candle Demonstration reminds Slovaks of the power of the people


Updated 17.03.2023

The Candle Demonstration on the eve of March 25, 1988 marked the beginning of the end of the Communist regime. It was one of the most significant manifestation of civil resistance in former Czechoslovakia.

The thousands of people gathered in the centre of the Slovak capital 35 years ago displayed their anger and dissatisfaction peacefully and quietly. The only weapon they wielded in their hands were candles. When lit, the candles unveiled the true scope of the protest. The blinking flames flooded the vast square and adjacent streets as well.

To commemorate the first mass protest against the repressive regime in Czechoslovakia since 1969, Slovaks observe March 25 as the Struggle for Human Rights Day.

The rally was a precursor of the Velvet Revolution that definitively ended the communist regime. Even though the Secret Church was behind the demonstration, its organisers demanded not just freedom of religion, but also dignity, freedom of speech, and the recognition of civil and human rights.

From the very beginning, the regime tried everything it could to suppress the protest. Organisers had even been detained in advance. Nevertheless, neither the Communist Party nor the police managed to dissuade people from participation in the unauthorised protest. In the end, the police had to employ brutal force against the protesters, including batons, water cannons, even running over people with police cars. All the while the leading communist and police officials observed the demonstration from the comfort of the nearby Carlton Hotel.

The authoritarian regime reared its ugly head to the world.

Many were hurt. The police and agents spared neither old people nor young girls. They detained more than 100 people, among them accredited foreign journalists.

Karl Stipsicz, who at that time worked as an Austrian state TV ORF reporter, said: "What surprised me was the determination of the protesters. I was surprised by how many Slovaks had such courage." He too spent the night after the demonstration at the Regional Presidium of the National Security Corps.

The significance of the Candle Demonstration is still relevant today. Slovaks know the value of civic bravery and support its expression in other countries as well.

This year marks the third anniversary of the unannounced inauguration of the Belarusian President following undemocratic and illegitimate presidential elections. Violence was directed at the Belarusian citizens demanding democratic elections who took to the streets.

Slovakia did not hesitate and immediately created a fund to support Belarusian civil society, thus supporting presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who, fearing the consequences, fled to Lithuania.

Those who gain power illegitimately always see danger in the determination of people. They try to stop their own citizens by all means. Despite the brutal suppression, the Candle Manifestation could not be defeated. Quite the opposite, civic freedom is a universal value and it is only a matter of time before it prevails over undemocratic regimes.

 

© Photos: Archive F. Mikloško

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