Ivan Novotný

“We appointed several people into certain functions. The biggest problem, however, was due to our initiative, appointing also our shadow successors, since we counted on the worst scenario – on physical liquidation. Despite of me being a chairman of the Socialist Youth Union, my colleagues, classmates decided, I would become a leader of the occupation committee. They appointed my shadow successor as well. We divided functions according to the fact there was a given number of students. In front of the door there were always three students with a key from school. The school was locked and there were students standing behind the partially glassed-in door, through which they could see. If someone wanted to enter the school, he rang the bell and the door opened. Three people were there for the safety reasons. Two would be too little in case of a physical attack. You know, two are being attacked, whilst the third one runs to inform about what´s happening. There were three people at the door all the time, taking turns in one hour intervals. At the first meeting we arranged our next goals. Firstly, we began the occupation strike. Secondly no alcohol was allowed, smoking was permitted only at the courtyard, not inside. The alcohol was the most strictly monitored. I had experience with two people. As soon as I caught somebody consuming alcohol, I said: ‘One of us has to leave, either you, or me!’ And the person had to leave the school. People took it not as only because of the alcohol, but because of launching a change. Another thing was that we divided into three groups. The first one went to the dorms, took sleeping bags, clothes and toiletries to be able to decently live there, maybe even for half a year.”

“They were experienced from 1968 when something similar happened at schools and they knew what was going to happen each day. On the third day of occupation strikes there was an interesting situation – in front of schools there were buses driving loaded with militiamen. Approximately at that time we began receiving provoking phone calls like: ‘Listen, just leave the school, as armed militiamen are coming for you. They are going to liquidate you.’ Well, we didn´t feel like laughing after such a phone call. We summoned a meeting and I told them about the phone call. After the third day, people couldn´t sleep anymore and the psyche began functioning much differently than during the normal circumstances. People started to create chaos. Certain number of people left the school with excuses like: ‘Listen, Ivan, here it´s all right, I am going to help out the revolution in our village.’ Or: ‘Ivan, we are going to pray for you at the dorms. That has a greater meaning,’ faithful Christians said. So some people left the school, but no one could blame them for that.”