Last updated on June 10, 2020
Last Saturday, June 6, my sister and I left home to attend a Black Lives Matter demonstration. We met with some friends and walked to the Rudolfinum for the first gathering. After waiting for a few more friends to arrive, we all walked together to Old Town Square. I was amazed by what I saw!
In this city, I can usually count the number of black people I see on a daily basis on one hand, I was expecting a handful of people.
Black Lives Matter protest in Prague
There were hundreds of people (some say 300) who came together in the square carrying various signs of tribute to the black people killed in the United States by police, and other protest callouts.
Several people spoke in Czech and in English, and one lady sang a song. It was very difficult to hear what was happening so my sister and I made our way to the center of the crowd where we could see and hear some of the speakers; we’d missed several.
The speakers talked about justice for George Floyd and fighting racism. Then, we knelt while someone called out the names of the black people who have been killed by the police. After each name, we called out “Say his name” or “Black Lives Matter”. We also laid down with our hands behind our back to experience 8 minutes 46 seconds. It felt like a very long time to me. Imagine someone strangling you over the course of that time. It was a powerful reminder of what’s at stake here; it’s a matter of life and death.
During the roughly 2 hours we spent at Old Town Square, people started spontaneous chants such as “I can’t breath”, “No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA”, “Say her name, Breonna Taylor”, “Say his name, George Floyd”, “F# the police, no justice, no peace”.
Marching to the American embassy
Ironically, the police were in the front of the line as we marched to the American embassy. Before we left Old Town Square, one of them called city hall to made sure we had the right permits to match and led the way to the embassy. As we walked from Old Town Square, past the city library, over Charles Bridge and to the American embassy, we continued the chants. There were a few people along the path with posters, but most people just stopped and watched, or filmed/photographed us.
It felt energizing to march, like I was doing something (even though I know it’s just the tip of the iceberg). But in some ways, it seemed so constrained, so within the lines. Since we walked over the pedestrian bridge, there was minimal disruption to traffic. I was conflicted because while I didn’t want to break any laws, I wanted more visibility. I want to find a way to shed more light on racism, not just in the US, but in Czech Republic too, for justice everywhere.
Memorial to George Floyd and Black Lives Matter
Opposite the American Embassy, there is a small memorial. People have lit candles and laid posters in tribute to George Floyd and other victims of police brutality in the US. We continued the chants and a new chant was added “Who’s got my back? I got your back”. The crowd dispersed around 7pm.
The protest was peaceful, and well attended, especially given that Prague has just come out of coronavirus lockdown. In fact, the original demonstration was cancelled due to concerns about the size of the crowd. I’m not sure that everyone here get what the issue is, what the stakes are, but I’m pleased that so many people showed. I’m feeling greedy and impatient for justice, for equality. I think it’s imperative that we continue to shine lights on the issues so that we can effect change in our society, in our communities, in our families.
YouTube Comments
Note that I’ve turned off comments on the YouTube video shared in this post because of comments saying that Black people are not welcome in Czech Republic and similar racist feedback. There were only 7 comments but this highlights even more how important it is to call out racism wherever it exists in the world.
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