Remembering the past; Honoring its victims
On Feb. 25, the Czech Republic commemorated the anniversary of the coup that brought the communists to power.
For many at the time of the 1948 takeover, the event represented a new beginning and a bright future. Throughout the communists’ subsequent rule from 1948 to 1989, the anniversary was revered as a glorious day, when people took justice into their own hands and threw off the shackles of capitalism.
Of course, it can now be said that the communist takeover plunged the country into decades of darkness and terror.
This year’s memorial services over the weekend of Feb. 23 and 24 and into Monday were of a somber tone, reminding participants of the pro-democratic student marches that took place during the 1948 government crisis and the thousands of people persecuted, killed or unjustly sentenced during the following 41 years.