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It is quite unusual for Slovaks to feel as festive on their national holidays as many felt last Sunday, when the country marked 30 years since the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia. It was not just the usual official festivities featuring politicians, flags, and wreaths; all kinds of commemorative, cultural and even sports events took place in the days leading up to November 17.
The For a Decent Slovakia protest in Bratislava, estimated to have been attended by some 7,000, did not match the one that took place the day before in Prague, where the police estimated the attendance at 250,000. It did prove, however, that the November 1989 legacy lives on, especially with several faces of the Velvet Revolution addressing the crowd on Freedom Square.
A bloc is coming. Or not
