50 Years Since Eliyahu Rips’ Protest
- Where: Václav Havel Library, Ostrovní 13, Prague 110 00
- When: April 11, 2019, 19:00 – 21:00
“I didn’t believe that the Prague Spring could ignite a spark in Latvia or in the Soviet Union. But when everybody is in prison and a fellow inmate manages to escape, you’re also delighted. However, after the occupation, that delight turned to bitterness… My act stemmed from absolute bitterness. I ceased believing that communism could collapse in the way it later did. It seemed that that evil would remain here forever.” Eliyahu Rips, 2008
Meeting with the Israeli mathematics professor Eliyahu Rips, who on 13 April 1969, inspired by Jan Palach, set himself on fire in central Riga in protest at the occupation of Czechoslovakia. The evening will also include a talk by historian Petr Blažek on cases of self-immolation linked to the Soviet invasion.
Moderated by Adam Hradilek of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes.
Organised by the Václav Havel Library in cooperation with the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes.