The Candle demonstration ( sk, sviečková demonštrácia) on 25 March 1988 in Bratislava, the capital of

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

, was the first mass demonstration since 1969 against the communist regime in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. The demonstration was organized by

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

dissent Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual. A dissenting person may be referred to as ...

groups asking for

religious freedom Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. The peaceful candle demonstration of five thousand believers was suppressed by the police. The demonstration was planned by Marián Šťastný, executive vice-president of the Slovak World Congress and his associate Paul Arnold of Switzerland. They were in touch with the Čarnogurský family of Bratislava and passed on the plans for the demonstration via Šťastný's mother-in-law, who was on a visit to Switzerland. Catholic activist

František Mikloško František Mikloško (born 2 June 1947) is a Slovak politician. He was the Speaker of the Slovak National Council from 1990 to 1992. And a long serving MP of the National Council of the Slovak Republic (1990-2010). For most of his career, he wa ...

initiated a request for a permit to demonstrate, but his proposal was rejected by the authorities. Information about the event was propagated through

Vatican Radio Vatican Radio ( it, Radio Vaticana; la, Statio Radiophonica Vaticana) is the official broadcasting service of Vatican City. Established in 1931 by Guglielmo Marconi, today its programs are offered in 47 languages, and are sent out on short wave, ...

and by

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

and

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

. The demonstration was the first important step towards destroying the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Five thousand Slovaks protested at Hviezdoslav Square with

candle A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candle ...

s in their hands, and other six thousands in adjacent streets, while the main entrance to the square was blocked by the

secret police Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic of ...

. Police first used

water cannon A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining ...

s against protesters while they ran their sirens and yelled at protesters to get away from the square, then began attacking the protesters with batons and sticks. BA hviezdoslav

Leading communist officials (e.g. the Slovak prime minister, minister of the interior, minister of culture) were observing the whole "operation" from inside the Carlton Hotel on Hviezdoslav square. The minister of culture disagreed with the police operation and as a result he decided to resign in autumn 1988. 25 March has become Struggle for Human Rights Day in Slovakia, commemorating the candle demonstration.

External links

All about the candle demonstration
(Slovak and English) {{Authority control Velvet Revolution 1988 protests 1980s in Bratislava 1988 in Czechoslovakia March 1988 events in Europe