(17 Nov 2014) Thousands of Czechs gathered in central Prague on Monday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the launch of the 'Velvet Revolution' that toppled communism - but festivities turned into an appeal for President Milos Zeman to resign.
The centre of the rally was a street in downtown Prague where police cracked down on a peaceful anti-communist student march on November 17, 1989 - just over a week after the collapse of the Berlin Wall on November 17, 1989.
The Velvet Revolution demonstrations began with fiery speeches against the hard-line communist regime at a university campus, prompting thousands of students to march downtown.
The police blocked the street from both sides, pressing the protesters with armed vehicles before attacking them with truncheons. Hundreds were injured.
Undeterred, the students went on strike and crowds increased in the days that followed.
On December 29, 1989, dissident playwright Vaclav Havel became Czechoslovakia's first democratically elected president in a half-century.
Czech Prime Minister, Bohuslav Sobotka, was on Monday travelling to the US to unveil a bust of Havel, saying it was a great honour for the Czech Republic.
Under Havel's leadership, the country became a champion of human rights - and many Czechs believe Zeman has betrayed that legacy.
They cite his pro-Russian stance in the Ukraine conflict, recent praise of visiting Chinese leaders and comments seen as downplaying police brutality 25 years ago.
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