Slovakia’s President Zuzana Čaputová commemorated the 34th anniversary of the Gentle Revolution. She honored the memory of the victims of the totalitarian regime by laying wreaths at the Brána sloboda monument in Bratislava’s Devín.
” We are commemorating the holiday of the Gentle Revolution, which brought the fall of the totalitarian regime. However, this was preceded by a period of lack of freedom, persecution and even the killing of people just because they wanted freedom ,” said the head of state. She appeals to people not to forget it.
Democracy is not perfect, but unlike totality, it can still be shaped by free elections or freedom of speech, Čaputová added. According to Čaputová, people 34 years ago did not stand in the squares for themselves, but everyone for everyone. ” Let’s celebrate today’s holiday together with gratitude for freedom and democracy, which is not a matter of course ,” she noted.
She also mentioned that as president she came to lay flowers at the Gentle Revolution monument in Prague for the last time. “I wish for my successor that the legacy of November 17 is not only a historical memory, but living values,” she said, adding that today’s generation owes it to those who contributed to it, and it is also a commitment to future generations.