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Prague 2 kicks out Speakers' Corner

Extremist activities prompt many changes to city assembly laws

By Kimberly Hiss
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
February 27th, 2008 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Briton Euan Edworthy, who helped establish the forum, thinks it should be moved to Wenceslas Square.
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The venues through which the public exercises its right to free speech and assembly are currently a topic of discussion at Prague City Hall.
On Feb. 19, Deputy Mayor Rudolf Blažek announced that Speakers’ Corner — a public forum on Palackého náměstí in Prague 2 where activists can assemble without official approval — is to be moved. The relocation is a result of complaints over recent extremist demonstrations there.
Blažek also announced that changes are being prepared to the city’s assembly laws. A study group has been formed to recommend an amendment that would better ensure public safety during gatherings of controversial groups.
Speakers’ Corner, which is also referred to as Prague’s Hyde Park, was established in summer 2004 at the urging of Briton Euan Edworthy, founder of Prague public relations group Best Communications. The idea came from a belief in the importance of “freedom of speech, engagement and the art of oration,” said Edworthy, who has since become a trustee for Speakers’ Corner Trust, a new charity seeking to establish public speaking forums throughout Europe.
At the time, Blažek told The Prague Post that it would be a mistake to allow speakers to use the forum to promote fascism or defame a race or nation.
Last November, his comments proved somewhat prophetic when extremist groups twice assembled at Speakers’ Corner. Prague 2 district mayor responded by asking City Hall to move the forum elsewhere.
“It all changed when the extremist groups started to gather,” said Prague 2 Mayor Jana Černochová. “It became very difficult to keep the peace during those demonstrations.” Černochová also pointed out the logistical difficulties in hosting such a venue.
“There were problems with traffic, and residents complained about the noise of the loudspeakers,” she said. “Plus, as organizers don’t need to announce meetings, we don’t know who’s responsible, and if they leave a mess, we have to clean it up.”
The responsibility for finding a new location fell to Prague City Hall, and Blažek has opened discussions with various districts to gauge their interest. But finding a willing host is a challenging task.
“Districts and their residents are very careful now,” said City Hall spokesman Jiří Wolf. “After we had some experience with Hyde Park, we know the space can be used not only by individuals but also by groups in order to avoid reporting public gatherings.”
According to Wolf, factors being taken into account when considering possible sites include accessibility by car and public transport, adequate space for crowds and the district’s ability to maintain safety.
Amid media speculation that Letná Park was being considered, Prague 7 district spokesman Martin Vokuš remains skeptical. “This would definitely not be a good location for gathering of large numbers of people,” he said. “Basically until 2012, there will be major construction going on for the city circle road.”
Edworthy hopes officials keep the forum in the center of things. “I’d argue for it to be in the heart of the city, like on Wenceslas Square,” he said.
Talking points
As for the anticipated amendment to the assembly laws, discussions center on one crucial point — the deadline by which officials must reject an application to assemble. Currently, once the city receives an application, officials have three days to approve or ban it. That limit is counted by calendar days, not business days, so if an application is filed after hours Friday, and Monday is a holiday, officials have no opportunity to review it. A missed rejection deadline is essentially an approval by default.
The study group organized to recommend changes to the legislation includes City Hall officials, legal experts and specialists from Czech Police and Municipal Police. They are reviewing current legislation as well as the experiences of other European cities, and their analysis is expected to be ready by mid-June.
Despite the challenges inherent in establishing safe venues for free speech, it’s hard to disagree with the importance of a public forum. Even Černochová, despite her difficult experience with Speakers’ Corner, believes in the value of such a meeting place.
“Citizens of states with advanced democracies should have this possibility to express public opinion, so Prague should have this place,” she said. “But when you set it up, you have to consider all the possible consequences.”
Edworthy agrees. “Democracies need to uphold their hard-won freedoms by exercising their rights,” he said. “It would be horrible to have a group of extremists change our democratic principles.”
According to Wolf, City Hall plans to have a proposal for a new location by the end of March. “Prague enters this discussion with the intention to keep the principal of Hyde Park,” he said. “The rest of the solution is hard to anticipate now.”
— Hela Balínová and Naďa Černá contributed to this report.

Kimberly Hiss can be reached at news@praguepost.com


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