Petr Mička

"Another terrible anniversary celebrated at our school was the 'Victorious February' 1948. In fact, it was probably the most terrible anniversary, given the circumstances. Because we were to become teachers of civics which made us a sort of an elite among the future teachers - expected to bring up future generations. We had a professor who of course was a communist and served at the Institute of Marxism-Leninism. But in retrospect I have to say he wasn't the swine. So we liked him in a way, and built up a relationship. When in February the faculty was tasked with participating in the parade, we were selected to be in its lead. We havn't had the courage to refuse or to play sick which would have been cowardly anyway, but better still. And so really, we marched in the parade. Paradoxically, our colleagues who stood on the pavements of Fučíkova street and waved, later accused us of being the bastards who marched in the lead of the parade. But they were also present themselves."

"Then it got thicker. We got out of the streets at some point only to find out we couldn't walk on because a police cordon was blocking the street. Those were regular policemen armed with batons, no special units with shields. Still, it was becoming emotional and we were nervous and scared. I vaguely recall that at some point we found ourselves at Wenceslas Square. In any case, a crowd set out from Kampa and at one point we were crossing the Jirásek's Bridge. They closed its one end and sent two yellow police lorries in. The lorries had little windows and from them stuck out hands with batons. The lorries were moving slowly and the policemen who were inside were beating people over their heads. I became really nervous at that point. There was a fantastic girl there with us with purple eyelashes, a real beauty. And she also got almost smacked there."