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Jiří Gruntorád is 71 years old, John Bok is 78 years old, Pavel Kohout is 95 years old and JUDr.Milan Hulík is 77 years old. This is how Pavel Kohout supported Jiří Gruntorád in writing and then in a telephone conversation. Both hunger strikers were also supported by Milan Hulík, whom I visited, on an audio recording. After the coup in November 1989, he interrupted his work in the legal profession and became director of the Inspection Department in the newly established Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Democracy, later renamed the Security and Information Service (BIS). Jiří Gruntorád takes the sign with him so that he can keep it in sight and use it again if necessary...
Jiří Gruntorád ended his hunger strike only after the government resolution by which the government subscribed to the traditions of Charter 77 was revoked, without addressing or consenting to its representatives! By its conduct and actions, it has not been worthy of them so far. Once again it has been shown what different worlds politicians and citizens live in. If politicians communicate with citizens only during elections and through the media, they will necessarily lose contact with citizens, including common sense. Prime Minister Fiala and Minister Jurečka were completely out of touch with reality in their personal conversations. The only one who was able to negotiate factually was Interior Minister Rakušan (in the photo Jiří Gruntorád just before leaving for a meeting with Rakušan). He promised to do what he could and to find a solution soon. He fulfilled his promise. Both public broadcaster ČT and Seznam.cz were silent this morning about the end of the hunger strike, at least not on the front pages...
Always, one act of an individual is more than hundreds of articles - they only diminish and dilute the value of the act. Only those who are capable of such acts themselves will understand this. Jiří Gruntorád acted fully in the spirit of Article 23 of the Constitution of the Czech Republic, when the democratic establishment of the country is threatened and a person has the right to resist, or the duty to resist, if democratic values are valuable to him.
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Ing. Petr Walter, born 19.10.1961, currently head of the horticultural department of the Jihlava Zoo. StB Ostrava. "Mr. Walter was a good Aesthete, because he worked only in the Economic Intelligence of State Security..."
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Dear former colleagues,
I would like to thank you all very much for the wonderful ten years of cooperation during my tenure at the Jihlava Zoo and at the same time I would like to explain the circumstances and reasons for the termination of my tenure in this organization. But first let me express my gratitude for all the unforgettable and wonderful experiences I had with many of you while gathering material for your reports and articles. I am extremely glad that not only thanks to these experiences I was able to establish with you good working and, I am not afraid to say, in many cases friendly relations, which I continue to value very much. …
… And why am I writing this letter to you on November 17th? Because although I was born in 1987 and thus have little memory of totalitarianism, two of my great-uncles were sentenced to forced labour in Jáchymov, and thanks to my family history I deeply detest Nazi, Communist and any other ideology of unfreedom. Precisely because I hardly experienced communism, I would never have thought that 34 years after the revolution I would be fired for my views, for standing up for the weak and for the ideas of decency and common sense, and on the basis that the management would fully give in to the recommendations and advice of a person who not only plays a key role in decision-making on important matters within the Jihlava Zoo, but also plays a significant role in the external activities of the zoo, namely in terms of relations with authorities, politicians and sponsors. He is a man who was in the past an officially-led lieutenant of the State Security Service, and who came to the zoo as a reward for helping certain people in the selection process. After arriving at the zoo, this man, thanks to his enormous influence on the management, managed to introduce into the functioning of this organisation the aesthetic practices of treatment of employees to which he was accustomed from the past.
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Today's young students: 'We have to decide between Karel Gotts and Karel Kryl' (from a discussion with students on ČRoPlus).
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TESTIMONIAL OF THE SAMET REVOLUTION - from Hana Lamkova's book SEARCHING FOR HOME. Who believed then that they would live to see the present state of society? By merely "jingling the keys" and not punishing the guilty, no evil has ever been eliminated, only strengthened. On the right, a photo from Rome (16.11.1989) – Swiss-Czech compatriots and meeting with the famous actress Sylva Lang, then living in London - incredible refinement, sophistication, a real lady. An excellent diagnosis of Jiri Krupicka's past and present times in the world, from the same book, follows. JŠ
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Held in the "House at the Stone Bell" on Old Town Square (next to the Kinsky Palace). The children were amazing. I could not, unfortunately, stay until the end. On my way out, I took a few photos of the rally of Israelis under the windows in Old Town Square, commemorating the children's sacrifices in today's war. More photos in the PHOTO GALLERY.
I arrived 10 minutes earlier, unaware that in the same room there was a UNICEF event - life advice to high school students on how to cope with life. There were also Ukrainians in the public and the entrance was free. I reacted with only one sentence, when I recalled how Tomas Bata used the words "challenge" instead of "problem" (the lecturer appreciated). I could not stop wondering with what verbal aggressiveness the two young women organizers, who did not compare their behavior with the StB practices, immediately reacted. They insisted on leaving the room even though there were only 5 minutes left to go, despite my assurances that I was not going to interfere with the training any further. Not caring who I was, they refused my card. Provocatively, they stood right in front of me so I couldn't see anything - they were more polite from blind:-) They would need a course in basic manners themselves. Even the Ukrainians present among the public were surprised.
I used to regularly support UNICEF financially (I could still afford it). Both organizers were visibly "reprogrammed" by rules and regulations, which completely "turned off" their common sense, judgment and basic human decency. Nowadays, they are poised for a "successful" career... JŠ
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Prague 11. 11. 2023: Concert of the National Artist of Ukraine Pavel Dvorsky
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The management has taken a swipe at the CT reporters. The new head of Czech Television, Jan Souček, stressed in several interviews after his arrival that he would keep an eye on the Czech Television Reporters programme. As it seems, this is now actually happening. A few days ago, editor Ondřej Stratilík was dismissed from the programme. The reason for this was allegedly his trip to Sweden for a report, when the travel and accommodation for the public journalist was paid for by the Swedish Arms Association.
Stratilík was told by his superiors on 9 November that he should immediately stop all the reports he had distributed to CT reporters.
Wollner said it was most important for CT not to advertise the company in question. "We set that as a condition of the trip in advance, that we would not mention any of their products in any way. We told ourselves that we were going to make a political, military-political travelogue in a region that closely borders Russia across the sea."
At the same time, he stressed that the reportage is morally absolutely unquestionable. "There is nothing to question about the reportage. The problem is that Mr. Stratilík started doing a report on Mr. Strnad some time ago. Mr Strnad undoubtedly contacted the management of Czech Television, so the management of the television station did not delay, started looking for a year-old report and Mr Stratilík was, how shall I put it, well, fired from Reporters and offered a completely undignified job."
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