A letter from an Eastern European to you

Source: Pixababy

Drawing on the history of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, Margareta Durovcikova reminds us of the importance of personal freedom in light of the upcoming General Election.

Dear UCL student,

While November 17th 2019 marked the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, reminding all Czechs and Slovaks of the power of freedom, the message of this uprising is very much applicable to Britons today. This revolution was a significant event in the history of my country because it resulted in the fall of an oppressive regime, the opening of borders, and the long-awaited freedom for which Czechs and Slovaks had been longing for over 50 years. This year, the anniversary inspired a hashtag, #dikyzemuzem (“thanks that we can”), with which Czechs and Slovaks expressed gratitude for all the things they are able to do now, thanks to the revolt. The message of these events apply to you, as a modern UCL student, in many ways. Mainly, they should remind you of the power we hold when we come together, as well as the fragility and value of freedom. 

So what was life like during Communism in Czechoslovakia?

The Communist regime oppressed even the most basic human rights in Czechoslovakia. Expressing an opinion deemed even slightly opposed to the government could earn you at least an interrogation, and in many cases, prison. My parents, who lived in Communist Czechoslovakia for 22 years, often recall being told “you cannot say that outside the house!” when their parents discussed anything remotely related to Communism. They always tell me how you had to be careful at all times, because you never knew if someone was a secret agent and could report you to the authorities. Ordinary people lived in a state of constant dissonance between what was said at home and what you could say outside.  

Those who spoke against the state publicly were punished. There are few public records of the number of political prisoners in Czechoslovakia, but the existence of prisons and labour camps show the harsh conditions in which prisoners lived.  Those considered the most “dangerous” were placed in labour camps where they were, for example, forced to handle radioactive materials with no protective gear. Prisoners in these camps included bishops, priests, professors, high school teachers and other individuals who openly opposed the regime. Shockingly enough, these political prisoners were considered more dangerous than serial killers and criminals of the highest order, and were subject to brutal interrogations. 

Religious freedom was non-existent and travel impossible. Religious leaders were often bullied by the state or imprisoned for opposing it , and even ordinary people who attended church were discriminated against. If you took religion classes and went to church, you were banned from studying at university and ostracised by the government. My grandmother often recalls the story of a high school teacher from her village who travelled to a different parish every Sunday just so that she could go to church and not be seen by someone who knew her and would report her, potentially ending her career. To be able to leave the country, you needed special permission from the government, which was difficult to obtain, especially for travel to non-Communist Western countries. Those who tried to escape faced a treacherous journey with an unclear outcome. Czechs and Slovaks were trapped in their thoughts, in their houses, and behind the Iron curtain.

Nevertheless, people rebelled against the state and eventually prevailed over the monstrous regime. In 1977, over 800 people signed “Charta 77” (Charter 77) which called for the protection of human rights and pointed to human rights violations in Czechoslovakia. On March 25th 1988, an estimated 1,000 people demonstrated peacefully with candles to demand religious and other freedoms, which is now known as “Sviečková demonštrácia” (The Candle Demonstration). On November 16th 1989, students in Bratislava marched and demanded a more democratic education, which set off a series of increasingly powerful demonstrations, a general strike, and eventually the collapse of a regime which had been preying on the freedom of Czechs and Slovaks for over 50 years.

But how does any of this apply to you?

Hopefully this letter will remind you that freedom should never be taken for granted. As UCL students, we are constantly encouraged to speak our minds, to question what we are told, to travel, and to be involved in shaping our communities. Being able to do this seems such a normal thing – and it should be. Yet, for almost half of their lives, my parents were not allowed to live freely, to leave their country, and to be themselves in public. The weight of the regime suffocated the hopes and smashed the freedoms of the people of Czechoslovakia, who then had to withstand terror to piece their liberty back together. 

We often forget the value of freedom and the power we hold to transform our countries. In the 2017 general election in the UK, most constituencies had more non-voters than the number of votes of winning MPs. In other words, non-voters had the potential to change the outcome of the elections. In the 2015 and 2017 elections, of those aged 18 to mid-20, only 40-50% voted, compared to 80% of those aged over 70. It can be difficult to make sense of the current political situation in the UK and figure out who to vote for, but the power you hold in your hands when you are free to vote for whoever you want is immense.

So, please, remember the value of freedom, and vote! You can register until 26th November. The future of this country is in your hands – so don’t let it slip away.

With love,

An Eastern European

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