Directed by right-wing opportunists (Portal of Prague)

It is clear that May Day celebrations the way they took place in Prague and several other bigger cities including Bratislava, frightened the orthodox communists. Unlike immediate critics who were not too strict more extreme ones let it all hang out. Vasil Bilak wrote the following in his memoirs:

There were certain hopes laid on the May Day celebrations. However, the right-wing opportunists enforced “the new approach to the May Day celebrations. According to this approach, the Party didn’t mobilize working class but let anyone to take part in the parade so it could be judged whether one is supporting the Party’s politics or not. The right-wing opportunists stirred all their energy into action and wanted to prove that this is the voice of the people and of the working class. Mostly, they wanted to show this on the May Day in Prague.

Overall, when we don’t take into account the political purpose and hidden meaning, May Day passed calmly. After all, except for Prague and Bratislava, many people viewed all this as some kind of absurd play. People didn’t understand what’s behind it all. Discipline and obligation to keep the only one month old presidium intact made it impossible for Marxist-Leninist force to speak openly about the threatening and growing danger.

Basically, the May Day in Prague was in the hands of right-wing and antiestablishment forces. Their intention was clear – to celebrate Dubcek and create a picture of mass advancement of so called unblemished politicians with “clean hands”. According to them, everyone urging revolutionary changes in the past had his hands dirty. But according to this logic the one shooting at workers and farmers during the first republic, the one collaborating with fascist had his hands clean. One could only get them dirty while building socialism. They were generously willing to forgive a few members from the former leadership, although their hands were dirty as well. Dubcek’s face was only hiding treason to socialism and the future of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic became a part of a risky game.

The media blocked broadcasts from places where marchers endorsed the Communist Party, socialism and friendship with the Soviet Union. The main focus was on May Day in Prague. There you could see pathetic scenes of enemies of socialism acclaiming the general secretary of the Communist Party. Dubcek became the symbol of the New Party. And the antiestablishment elements started to worship “Dubcek’s Party”, not the Communist Party. There were bread rolls baked in Dubcek’s tribute, mass said for him and it was announced that even the Holly Father prays for Dubcek and wishes him the best of luck.