Prague Embassy cable, American Woman's Account of November 17 Demonstration and the Death of a Czech Student

The experience of November 17 is difficult to recapture in all its intensity and chaos. But this testimony from an American eyewitness evokes the atmosphere. Although the story comes second-hand through this November 20 U.S. embassy cable, we can still sense the trauma of that night in the description of fleeing demonstrators forced through a police "gauntlet". November 17 was the first encounter with police repression for many participants. Unused to such tactics, the assault was so stunning that they readily believed fatalities had occurred. The rumored death of student Martin Smid in particular took on a life of its own. Even after the government proved the rumor false, popular outrage continued. However, the bizarre story of the undead student left many questions unanswered and would later give rise to one of the Velvet Revolution's conspiracy theories, that the crowds were manipulated by elites trying to stage a coup. Still, this document suggests that knowing what "really" happened on November 17 isn't essential for understanding why it was historically important. Regardless of the intentions behind the police violence, the impact it had on participants was real, and that experience played a decisive role in mobilizing the public against the state.