May Day in Prague was evaluated by the Presidium of Communist Party at its conference on May 8. There were different issues on the program however events of May 1 were still too fresh. Here is part of the speech of Frantisek Kriegel:
To the evaluation of May 1…I know myself what it takes to organize May Day in Prague…we had several hundred of people there as well and we organized them as well. And when we stood at the platform it looked like a funeral platform. This time we didn’t organize it and people waited till half past two to pass the platform. Comrades Svoboda and Dubcek were very popular and politicians would have to be naïve to think that this popularity is not political capital. This was a mass agreement with the political line. People were shouting: Keep up the good work, don’t disappoint us. And they were throwing flowers at the platform. There was never contact like this before. Some comrades are criticizing that it wasn’t a labor movement. Yes, the labor element wasn’t organized. We saw them now, the spontaneous rally passing by. There was lot of young people in the parade. Much more than in previous years and without organized lining up from schools. We have to highly appreciate this May Day as a manifestation of support to the political activities of the Party in those last months. The sight of hippies was not pleasant but it is very interesting that they were sitting the whole night in front of the American embassy to protest against the war in Vietnam…