My Diary:

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20.11.

10:30 am

The strike on school took place. The faculty, even the headmistress, are supporting us. But the students are already being arrested at the Theatre Academy and the situation in our school also becomes critical. Some signs of anarchy that potentially allow the secret police to invade the school start to appear (putting president Husak’s pictures on fire or writing on bathrooms’ walls). But all are up in arms. Various written statements are floating around the school; huge signs, such as "Who, if not us; When, if not now!", or "Strike", are hanging around. There are meetings on the corridors, on which newspapers are being read and witnesses of Friday are speaking. In the teachers’ room, there is a permanent negotiation between the representatives of every class and the headmistress, civic education teacher and the vice-headmistress.

12:02 pm

We spent about 2 hours in the cafeteria hall together with representatives from the School of Electrical Technology of the Czech Technical University. The headmistress and School Committee of the Socialist Youth Union were having speeches. They said we couldn’t start an occupational strike like the university students, since we’re not 18 yet. Also, we have to avert all anarchy and chaos.

Rumor says the strike is going on also at Parlerova and Arabska High Schools, and that there was an information ban imposed on Prague.

Also various statements were read. Some of them was more radical than other, but all were alike. Also, the statement of the students and the statement of the professors of our school was read. It’s a pity that the statement wasn't joint. Further rumors say Prague is full of the secret police agents who are arresting the university students who’re going to another schools to provide information.

Svobodne Slovo newspaper contains about 5 articles that are absolutely correct and independent. It’s probably going to be banned.

8:33 pm

The biggest demonstration so far. There have been about 200 thousand people in Prague. The strike took place on all universities and some of the high schools, and all these people went into the streets.

The people started to show up on the Vaclavske sq. already at about 1 pm. At 4 pm, about 50-70 thousand people could be there and still were others coming. The music shop at the square played Matuska and Kryl. The crowd turned back later and headed towards the Castle. Not one window remained unopened. Various slogans were cried for about 10 minutes in the front of Svobodne Slovo headquarters. Then the montrous rally through Prague began.

At this moment, Prague was full with about 200 thousand people. We heard that the strikes had already started in the mines in Kladno and Ostrava. Trams were ringing and ringing. People were taking the ‘17’ sign absolutely freely from the trams #17. A fantastic atmosphere. However, when we wanted to go to the bridge, the white-heads and tanks were already waiting there. The Castle won’t fall down! So we continued on the river bank to the Staromestka metro stop, where about 5000 people left and the others continued to the Staromestske Square and I wasn’t going any further.

The End.
 

(you might want to see the complete Philadelphia Inquirer and New York Times coverage of these days, scanned from microfiche archives - click here)