Jan Vondráček

"For example, I remember a trip to Havlíčkův Brod, when at first some workers and the People's Militia from a factory wanted to fight with us, like don't let us there, that we are simply subversive elements and I don't know what else, because they were all stupidly manipulated. Well, then we somehow managed to get to the square, someone organized it there, so someone put equipment there. And that's what I remember at that time, that one was already in such a state of mind after that Friday that he actually stopped being afraid, even though it was not yet completely clear if it would turn back and if they would not close us all and we would simply end badly. Well, I remember how I told the story of what happened on November 17th in that square, and some guys in suits from the town hall just filmed and took pictures of me. I looked at them there and shouted at that square: 'Look over there, there's the State Security, so at least get ready and dress up if you're being photographed and filmed here and so on.' I made a joke of it. Of course, they started running because they were afraid that since the crowd was already angry, they might start lynching the State Security or something, which of course didn't happen."

“But it's true that when there were demonstrations like that before November 17, I was always unlucky, because I was leaving school and actually the demonstration started at four o'clock, that people would gather there in some way. It was always such a secret whisper gathering, as there were no social networks by then, now you can't imagine. It couldn't be convened like that, just secret phone calls and such. And because I had to be at school, for example, I got there an hour late, and the Wenceslas Square was already closed, and it was as if you couldn't get to participate in the demonstration, so I saved myself a cold shower in January from a water cannon or something, but like I wasn't there. And it was strange that I, as I failed about three times on the August 21 and so on, so I said: 'Once I'm in that cauldron, it's going to explode here.'' It is rather strange to have such premonition.”