Or "On Statues Coming to Life and Radars Invading the Cz"
I was trying to cross the street and out of nowhere came a fast moving, siren wailing, lights flashing motorcade. I saw American flags waving from the hoods of the cars. I thought that the number of cars in the motorcade was probably excessive, it was, after all, only Condoleezza Rice, not W. himself; standing still, the motorcade took up an entire city block. I thought that the security force would have better luck if they didn't fly the American flag on the hood of every car - talk about advertising the target. But, then again, the Secret Service hasn't called to get my input on their security measures.
My friend Alice told me that there was a protest against the American Radar scheduled for Wenceslas Square that evening and asked if I'd like to go. No doubt - I enjoy witnessing displays of discontent as much as anybody else. So we headed over to the square that has been the site of many protests and some celebrations. Jan Palach, a student, set himself on fire in 1969 to protest the Soviet Invasion that effectively put an end to the Prague Spring (a "thaw" of sorts in Czech affairs during the 60's) and began the period called "Normalization" (a reassertion of Soviet influence over Czech affairs from 68 - 80's). Hundreds of thousands gathered on this square during the Velvet Revolution of 1989. And today, the square in New Town (New Town was established in the 1300's - and that's considered "new") is lined with fast food joints, hotels, shops like Marks and Spencer and Nike and during peak business hours, prostitutes plying their trade. But anchoring the square at the end is a statue of Wenceslas himself, patron saint of Bohemia. The story goes that in their time of greatest need, Wenceslas will rise again to protect the Czech people. Actually, I've heard it told that the at the country's darkest hour, the statue of him on a horse will actually come to life and he'll ride across the Charles Bridge, if he can get through all the tourists snapping pictures and the vendors selling overpriced arts and crafts. The story insists that once he clears the bridge (which in that traffic is more of a miracle than bringing that statue to life), his horse will stumble on a stone and with that stumble, the stone will reveal the great sword of Bruncvik, the weapon with which he will subsequently slaughter all enemies of the state. Imagine what Bush would do with such a sword.
So, as you can imagine, this space is both symbolic and ironic.
On this particular day, folks gathered to protest the great Imperialist Beast for wanting to put a radar on Czech lands, right outside of Prague. This radar would allow America to know when a missile is launched against the USA and provide time for our military to thwart such an attack.
The Czechs I've spoken to are split on the issue; some feel they haven't been given enough information and they don't trust either their own government or the American government to provide them with a full accounting of what it means to have the radar based here. For some, it reminds them of the time of Chernobyl when the government would not give them any information about the ways in which the fall-out might affect their health and the health of their children. Some worry that the radar will emit harmful signals or radiation. Others wonder if the radar will provide them any protection or just put them in harm's way for aligning themselves with such an ally as the USA. Some think it's quite dangerous to have such friends.
At the protest, I saw a sign that read "1938, 1968 and 2008?", a sign that summed up the feelings of many Czechs. 1938 was the year that Hitler annexed the Sudetenland portion of Czech Republic, 1968 was the Soviet Invasion and the implication is that the US would be one more foreign invader.
One young woman with whom I spoke said simply that she was frustrated with those who stood in opposition to the radar for playing on the fear of others. This sentiment made sense to me because it's been the gestalt in America since September 11th. Bush and his cronies had the opportunity to promote peace in the wake of the attacks, but instead they have spend 7 years feeding on the basest of human emotions - fear and the desire for revenge.
This particular young woman said she looked forward to her country's opportunity to step up and accept this international responsibility. I could not help but wonder if part of what fed her excitement was the opportunity for her country to get out from under the world's characterization of her country as perpetual victim.
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