The Vaclav Havel Library Foundation

Victims, not victors? The uniquely Czech debate over how to memorialise the Velvet Revolution

Havel in the MediaVictims, not victors? The uniquely Czech debate over how to memorialise the Velvet RevolutionVHLFDecember 4, 2019Source: The Guardian / www.theguardian.com / By Paul Wilson / Prague has long an uneasy relationship with monuments to its history – but 30 years since the fall of the communist regime, that could be about to change I used to think the saddest place in Prague was a prospect …Read more...

Speech by President-elect von der Leyen in the European Parliament Plenary on the occasion of the presentation of her College of Commissioners and their programme

Havel in the MediaSpeech by President-elect von der Leyen in the European Parliament Plenary on the occasion of the presentation of her College of Commissioners and their programmeVHLFNovember 28, 2019Source: European Commission / www.ec.europa.eu / Mr President, Honourable Members, Today, the 27th of November and exactly 30 years ago, the clock strikes twelve. Church bells ring. Sirens blare. Workers down tools. Factories, mines and shops empty as the streets fill up with dance and hope. The historic two-hour general …Read more...

Velvet Revolution embraced Gandhian ethics of responsibility, commitment to human dignity

Havel in the MediaVelvet Revolution embraced Gandhian ethics of responsibility, commitment to human dignityVHLFNovember 28, 2019Source: The Indian Express / www.indianexpress.com / By Ramin Jahanbegloo / Let us not forget that the strategies of non-violent resistance, dissent and non-cooperation suggested by Havel were presented by him as different ontological modes of living within truth. They became successful in 1989 by echoing an ethical dimension of …Read more...

Thirty Years Ago, a Two-Hour General Strike Took Place

Havel in the MediaThirty Years Ago, a Two-Hour General Strike Took PlaceVHLFNovember 28, 2019Source: prague morning / www.praguemorning.cz / By Lidia T. / Exactly 30 years ago, on November 27th, 1989, the work in Czechoslovakia stopped for two hours. Between 12 pm and 2 pm, offices, businesses, and factories began a general strike throughout the country. Where they could not interrupt operations, they …Read more...

Out of the darkness and waiting for the light 30 years after the Velvet Revolution

Havel in the MediaOut of the darkness and waiting for the light 30 years after the Velvet RevolutionVHLFNovember 22, 2019Source: New Europe / www.neweurope.eu / By Sasha Borovik / Former First Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine responsible for the international donor coordination, and Former Acting Deputy Governor at Odessa Regional State Administration. The year 1968 remains one of the most turbulent years in modern history, marked by geopolitical …Read more...

Velvet Revolution memories bittersweet as Czechs worry for their democracy

Havel in the MediaVelvet Revolution memories bittersweet as Czechs worry for their democracyVHLFNovember 19, 2019Source: The Irish Times / www.irishtimes.com / By Daniel McLaughlin / Nation marks 30 years since Vaclav Havel and fellow dissidents swept into power Tomas Halik admits questioning the scope of papal infallibility during a private Vatican dinner with Pope John Paul II in November 1989, when the pontiff told …Read more...

New generation of protesters links Slovakia with 1989 spirit

Havel in the MediaNew generation of protesters links Slovakia with 1989 spiritVHLFNovember 19, 2019Source: The Irish Times / www.irishtimes.com / Daniel McLaughlin / Velvet Revolution anniversary finds Slovaks demanding change after journalist’s murder Fifty-five years separate Martin Butora and Karolina Farska, but both see this weekend’s anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution as a time to celebrate three decades of freedom while calling …Read more...

Velvet Revolution: Prague’s ghosts of communism

Havel in the MediaVelvet Revolution: Prague’s ghosts of communismVHLFNovember 19, 2019Source: BBC / www.bbc.com / By Rob Cameron / The Berlin Wall had only just fallen when 15,000 students gathered in Prague on 17 November 1989. It was a moment that precipitated the end of communism in Czechoslovakia and is being marked 30 years on by the people of two …Read more...

Czechs Rally Against Political Leaders on Eve of Velvet Revolution Anniversary

Havel in the MediaCzechs Rally Against Political Leaders on Eve of Velvet Revolution AnniversaryVHLFNovember 19, 2019Source: The New York Times / www.nytimes.com / By Reuters / PRAGUE — Around a quarter million Czechs rallied against the prime minister and president on Saturday over concerns the pair are chipping away at democracy in the deeply divided nation celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. Protesters …Read more...

Russia and China, controversial friends of the Czech president

Havel in the MediaRussia and China, controversial friends of the Czech presidentVHLFNovember 19, 2019Source: The Irish Times / www.irishtimes.com / By Daniel McLaughlin / Milos Zeman’s ties with Putin and Jinping run counter to principles of the 1989 Velvet Revolution Hundreds of thousands of Czechs are expected to gather in the streets of Prague this weekend, just as they did 30 years ago …Read more...

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