Who was Jan Palach, and why did he protest in 1969?

Jan Palach's protest

Protest Jana Palacha

16 January 1969. On 16 January 1969 Jan Palach, a twenty-year-old student, set himself on fire at the top of Wenceslas Square in protest at the country's surrender after the…

Where: Czechia

What happened

On 16 January 1969 Jan Palach, a twenty-year-old student, set himself on fire at the top of Wenceslas Square in protest at the country's surrender after the invasion. He died three days later. Twenty years on, in January 1989, the gatherings in his memory — Palach Week — were one of the first signs that the regime was losing its grip.

Say it

Jan Palach se upálil na protest proti okupaci.

Jan Palach set himself on fire in protest against the occupation.