Prague considers place for oratory

Promoter says site will let everybody be heard

Prague soon will be the equal of London in at least one respect.

The city will have its own version of the Hyde Park Speaker's Corner - a symbol of unlimited freedom of speech and democracy.

Euan Edworthy, a Briton living in Prague and founder of Best Communications, which represents clients such as IMAX and ING, claims to be the spiritual father of the idea. He says he communicated the idea to Prague officials last September.

"I woke up at 4 in the morning with the idea," he said, adding that European Union integration gives it more relevance because there should be a platform here where people can say what they want.

"Not everybody has a chance to be heard, so a Speaker's Corner could become a platform where everybody gets a chance," Edworthy said.

Prague Deputy Mayor Rudolf Blazek said city officials are more enthusiastic about the idea now than they were when Edworthy first suggested it.

"At that time it was not relevant, but now the opportunity emerged," Blazek said.

The Speaker's Corner is to be located at Palackeho namesti in New Town. The Prague City Council still must give its approval. Discussions are set for June, and if the result is positive, Prague orators could have a platform by July.

The opportunity to establish a Speaker's Corner in Prague was made possible by a recent amendment to the Law on Freedom of Assembly, allowing groups to gather publicly without the obligation to formally announce their plans.

Unlike London's Hyde Park, Palackeho namesti is a busy square, a traffic junction near the city center, with metro and tram stations. Thousands of people pass by daily.

"The idea is good; however, I am not sure that that location is the most appropriate," Prague 2 Mayor Michal Basch told The Prague Post.

Palackeho namesti has occasionally hosted unannounced gatherings of anarchists. And while those gatherings never presented serious problems, Basch said, he is still skeptical about the idea.

While establishing such a symbol of freedom and democracy, city officials seem most concerned about handling the project from the point of view of control. Basch and Blazek both said there must be a certain regimen and rules.

"Problems could occur, so there will be a camera installed on the spot and police guards will monitor the place," Blazek said.

General Hyde Park rules allow speakers to say anything without being watched. Still, according to Blazek, it would be a mistake to allow speakers to promote fascism or to defame a race or nation, for instance. Such speech is a misdemeanor and culprits face a 1,000 Kc ($38) fine.

There is some question as to how people in this nation of compromise will respond to the opportunity to say what they mean aloud and directly.

Ready for forum?

Karel Kuhnl, a parliamentary deputy for the Freedom Union who has lived in England, said he has no idea whether a "Hyde Park" could thrive here. "The current political and media environment provides enough space to express oneself, so it will be taken as fun rather than seriously."

Jakub Patocka, chairman of the country's Green Party, disagrees.

"A new generation of Czechs is growing up, and we are ready [for a Speaker's Corner]," he said. He also views it as a good opportunity in terms of public relations for his party.

Former Human Rights Commissioner Petr Uhl, who was a dissident during the communist era, also agrees, saying that Czech society requires a Speaker's Corner.

"People should be able to express themselves and learn to listen to each other," he said.

Uhl recalled that during the 1968 democratic reforms known as the Prague Spring, the city saw numerous spontaneous Hyde Park-style gatherings. These disappeared following the August 1968 Soviet invasion and the subsequent era of suppression.

To launch the project with maximum publicity, Edworthy said he intends to invite British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who has been very supportive of the concept, to speak there. City officials, meanwhile, have said they appreciate Edworthy's diligence, and plan to invite some local celebrities themselves.

Ingrid Ludvikova can be reached at iludvikova@praguepost.com

Speaker's Corners