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Thousands of Czechs came out to celebrate the return of democracy to the country 27 years ago and voice their stand on pressing public issues. Despite the strained atmosphere in the weeks leading up to the anniversary, fears of street violence failed to materialize and only minor skirmishes marked the biggest celebrations of the anniversary in years.

The Czech president, Miloš Zeman, is not planning to take part in events on Thursday marking the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, SeznamZpravy.cz reported. His spokesman Jiří Ovčáček told the news website that Mr. Zeman would not follow the usual practice of laying a wreath at the spot where the revolution began in 1989 but would “leave that to other politicians”. The head of state is planning to quietly remember the events of that November 17, most likely at his residence at Lány near Prague, his spokesman said.

Hundreds of police officers are to be deployed in Prague on Thursday, which is a state holiday and marks the anniversary of the start of the Velvet Revolution. Národní St. will be closed to all traffic for a street party celebration entitled Thank You That We Can, while around 30 other marches, demonstrations and gatherings are also set to take place in the capital. Officers from around the country are being sent to Prague as reinforcements.

A memorial to the 1989 Velvet Revolution on Prague’s Národní St. has been moved, the news site SeznamZpravy.cz reported. The memorial, which takes the form of outstretched hands above the date 17.11.1989, is no longer in a passageway through the Kaňka Palace but on the building’s façade. Building owners the Chamber of Advocates said there was a fear that the many candles lit at the original location could cause a fire.

Prague‘s Municipal Court has cancelled the ban on a march to be held by critics of President Miloš Zeman on the national holiday on November 17, its organiser, activist Jan Cemper confirmed on Monday. Prague City hall had banned the march arguing it would cross routes with another demonstration of the president’s supporters, claiming the real aim had been to provoke clashes. Mr Cemper denied the charge. The march is expected to circumvent other planned demonstrations. The police regularly maintain a high presence during planned events to prevent clashes by rival groups. November 17 is the Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy that commemorates student demonstrations during the Nazi occupation in 1939 and against the Communist regime in 1989.

Prague City Hall has announced that Charles University will be granted the right to organize a gathering at Prague’s Albertov on November 17th of this year. A large number of entities filed for the right to gather on this historic site which is linked not only to the Velvet Revolution of 1989 but also to a Nazi crack down on Czech university students on October 28, 1939. Last year an anti-Islamic demonstration at the site aroused protests and students were barred entry allegedly for security reasons linked to an appearance by President Miloš Zeman.

The sometimes incendiary nature of recent Czech history has once again been demonstrated. Lower house of parliament lawmakers have backed a proposal to rename the November 17 holiday which marks the start of the Velvet Revolution in a move which has been interpreted as a victory of sorts for the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM).

Backing for a controversial makeover of the Czech holiday on November 17th commemorating the start of the Velvet Revolution in 1989 has been given by lawmakers. The holiday, traditionally called the day of fighting for freedom and democracy, will also get the prefix International Students’ Day under a proposal backed by the lower house of parliament on Wednesday. A similar attempt to rename the holiday proposed by the communist party failed two years ago. The proposed name change has been criticized by leaders of opposition parties. Leader of the TOP 09 party Miroslav Kalousek said the communists had succeeded in partially reverting the name back to its pre-1989 format. The change still has to be approved by the Senate and president.

Czech prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka and president Miloš Zeman met for the traditional get together of head of government and state at Lány on Saturday. Sobotka and Zeman have clashed in recent months over the government’s stand on immigrants, with the president notably sharing the podium with the leader of the Anti Islamic bloc on the national holiday of November 17. The president did however give credit to the government’s economic achievements in his Christmas speech. Even Saturday’s traditional meeting was the subject of acrimony with an argument over whether wives would be invited along as well.

Thousands of students and other people gathered at Prague’s Albertov on Sunday to mark the historical events of November 17 1939 and 1989. On Tuesday, when the landmarks are usually commemorated, police refused to allow students to gather there due to the fact the group Bloc Against Islam had booked the spot for a rally addressed by President Miloš Zeman. Participants in Sunday’s gathering carried signs reading Education against fear and No to violence and collective guilt. The Nazis subjected Czech students to terror on November 17 1939; it later became International Students Day and in 1989 saw the beginning of the Velvet Revolution.