Pressenza Pressenza International Press Agency Prague, 2009.10.31. The World March for Peace and Nonviolence is soon to arrive in the Czech Republic. On the occasion, among other things, a conference will be held at the Senate and a Peace Party, of multicultural content, will fill the city’s largest square. The base team, which Czech participant Lucie Fialová joined for the European stage, will arrive in Prague on the afternoon of Sunday November 1. At 6 pm, the delegation will be received by leading Czech figures in a press conference at the Imperial Hotel, which will provide accommodation to the participants during their stay in Prague.

In addition to the participants in the March, speakers will include Lucie Váchová, Miss Czech Republic, the actress Jana Švandová and, as the surprise of the evening, one of Czech culture’s biggest stars.

Conference at the Senate

On the morning of Monday November 2, the Senate of the Czech Republic will host a conference organised jointly by the Humanist Movement and the Vice-president of the Senate, Alena Gajdušková. The speakers will include Rafael de la Rubia, spokesman for the World March and chairman of the international humanist association World without Wars, the organisation that instigated the March, Jan Tamáš, leader of the Czech Humanist Party, Otakar Mika, a university lecturer and expert in weapons of mass destruction, and Tomáš Tožička, a specialist in cooperation and development. At the end of the conference, the March participants will have the chance to share ideas with Senator Gajdušková in a communal lunch.

Peace Party on Wenceslas Square

On Tuesday November 3, thousands of people will flock to Prague’s Wenceslas Square to symbolically take the Czech steps of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence.

The event will begin with a mass karaoke for peace, in which thousands of people will sing John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ in unison, led by leading figures from the Czech music scene. Next, a procession of floats will tour the centre of Prague in a carnival parade that will symbolise the Czech participation in the World March for Peace and Nonviolence. On its return to Wenceslas Square, dozens of Thai votive lanterns will be lit to illuminate the path of the World March and wish it well for its journey to other countries.

The base team will leave on November 4 for Hungary, where more activities await them. A Czech delegation will accompany the March to Budapest.

(Translated by Simon Bruni)