An event entitled "Don't Let November 17 Be Taken from Us" took place on the 25th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in the old parliamentary building in Bratislava on Monday, with several leading figures of November 1989 in attendance.
Speakers thanked ambassadors of Western countries for the help provided to Slovakia during Communism and the following transformation period. Opposition MP Jan Figeľ stated that even 25 years after the fall of Communism, Slovak society is suffering from problems such as high unemployment, record indebtedness, the growing power of an oligarchy and corruption. At another ceremony held at the Freedom Gate memorial in the Bratislava borough of Devin on Sunday, the presidents of Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Germany laid wreaths. The Freedom Gate memorial lists the names of people who were killed by border guards when attempting to escape from the Communist-ruled Czechoslovakia to Austria. Later in the day the Slovak President gave special awards to people who fought for freedom and democracy.
