berlin it's been 30 years since the velvet revolution brought down communism in what used to be czechoslovakia now checks are back on the streets demanding more democracy they're calling for the resignation of prime minister andre bobbish we'll go live to prague also coming up to polls close in sri lanka's much anticipated presidential election a record number of candidates are in the running national security became a key campaign issue months after the devastating easter sunday attacks. and deadly unrest in bolivia as security forces opened fire on supporters of exiled former president evo morales he's called it a massacre and has accused the country's interim government of running a dictatorship. and in stores soccer fans in finland aren't jumping for joy the country erupts of the celebrations after the men's soccer team steals a place at euro 2020 their 1st ever qualification for a major tournament. i'm married to evanston welcome to the program tens of thousands of people have gathered in the czech republic's capital prague to. mand the resignation of prime minister andre bobbish opponent

up it's been 30 years since the velvet revolution brought down communism and what used to be czechoslovakia now checks are back on the streets demanding more democracy they're calling for the resignation of prime minister andre bobbish. and germany's high flying green party relax the leadership duo didn't seem to bring garner unprecedented support to the country. i'm there in evanston it's good to have you with us protesters have staged a series of demonstrations across france to mark the 1st anniversary of a yellow vest movement police turned water cannon on activists in paris but the protesters targeted a bank the yellow vest actions peaked at the end of last year bringing hundreds of thousands on to the streets to oppose high living costs and equality but the numbers of people taking part have since fallen. to w a correspondent lisa lewis is in paris following all the developments there for us so lisa what have you been seeing what have protesters been doing and what are their demands. well the protesters were trying to march through paris but when they arrived at plaza tell you it's in

that eliminates the route to czechoslovakia. we have been following to the last few days, the hundreds of thousands of east germans leaving via that route. that is no longer necessary. what we have here in effect is a berlin wall which is a symbol but -- the frontiers themselves are open. he says in the next few weeks, there will be some provisional time to prepare the legislation to make this all correct and constitutional. what we have seen in the last few hours is the collapse of all of the borders between east and west germany. >> as you said, that divided the two sides of the cities is a symbol. but as far as you know, will that wall itself along the brandenburg gate near check port public, the open for east germans? >> as we read the words that were read to the people here tonight, that is correct. all of the checkpoints we know, checkpoint charlie and the others, those days will be open. it remains to be seen how the news will be taken here in the next few hours but they're very grim facade of the wall, with all of the do

czechoslovakia. have theht now they right to go directly through west germany. our correspondent has been following the events. you isn't.t more do >> it is truly astonishing in a series of events that happened days, last few hours. literally within the last five minutes on television here in in therlin and also east, the germans, east and mr. shabosque say there are no more borders, that germans may cross to the west over whatever existing border frontiers there are and eliminates the route through czechoslovakia. we have been following the hundreds of thousands of east germans leaving via that route. necessary.longer what i think we have is a berlin is a symbol, but the frontiers themselves are now open and he says in the next few weeks there will be some provisional time to prepare the legislation to make it all constitutional but we've seen the collapse of all westrs between east and germany. >> that berlin wall that divides ae two sides of the city is symbol, perhaps not much more than that. thatr as you know, will wall itself be opened for east germans who

that eliminates the route through czechoslovakia. we have been following the last few days, the hundreds of thousands of east germans who are leaving via that route. that is no longer necessary. in effect, i think what we have here is a berlin wall which is a symbol, but the frontiers themselves are open. he says in the next few weeks, there will be some provisional time to prepare the legislation to make this all correct and constitutional. but what we have seen now in the last few hours is the collapse of all of the borders between east and west germany. garrick: dennis, as you said, that the berlin wall which divided the two sides of the cities is a symbol. but as far as you know, will that wall itself along the brandenburg gate near check point charlie, will those openings be open for east germans who want to come into west berlin? dennis: as we read the words, the words that were read to the people here tonight, that is correct. all of the checkpoints we know, checkpoint charlie and the others, those gates will be open. it remai

west have had to pass through other communist east bloc nations, most of them passing through czechoslovakia. but as of right now according to the official statement just concluded, they have the right to go directly to west germany. nbc correspondent dennis murphy is in berlin right now and has been following the events. the news conference on television. dennis, what more do you know about this startling decision? dennis: it is truly astonishing. in a series of events that have happened the last few days and hours. literally in the last five minutes on television here in west berlin and also in the east, the germans east and west, speaking for the government, the

one is have got to relieve the burden on czechoslovakia. that is the cover tonight. the underlying motivation is the communist party hopes this will demonstrate its good intentions, determination to reform this country. it has been trying everything as you know in the last several weeks, including throwing out the hardliners card today promising free elections, recognizing opposition parties. tonight, this dramatic announcement that the wall in effect after nearly 30 years is coming down. >> thank you. we look forward to your report this evening from berlin on nbc nightly news. reaction starting to come in from washington, from the bush administration. secretary of state jim baker had this to say about the east german declaration. >> is seems to me would be apposite but development and should be one that we should welcome if indeed the announcement means that they have open the border to free travel. we have been talking for a long time about freedom of travel as being a basic human right. we have been talking for a long time about open borders. and we've been talkin

a couple of weeks later there was a revolution in czechoslovakia, the velvet revolution. power.dent came to at the end of the year you last domino falling in romania that was bloody. the leader and his wife are taken, tried and within 24 hours they were shot. what started with a peaceful role -- revolution and poland ended quite violently in romania. it was one of the most important pieces of it because it symbolized the division of europe. when you don't have a wall everyone can move around in the division erodes. host: east hartford, connecticut. this is david. caller: thank you for c-span. i have a collection of memories from the time. i was 10 years old and never ever football, the harvard crimson losing to the black .nights, 56-20 o i would rather ask a question for the professor. as the teaching of history in germany changed since unification? i will take my answer off the air. guest: that's a great question. course,germany, of students were taught something complete the different than west germany. they were taught the east germans had actively no responsibility fo

i'm not supposed to be a conservative but i had a mother who escapes communist czechoslovakia. and perhaps this is why for me it is such an honor to be here at the reagan library, the guy who took down the soviet union. [applause] >> so many of those on the left that are espousing the incredible virtues of socialism and communism it is no longer fringe element, they are out there, like mainstream pop culture today. unlike them i have actually experienced it myself. i have actually been there. i had a grandfather who was a blue collar electrician in communist czechoslovakia and he saw the incredible blessings we had in this country, the incredible freedoms we had, all of the things we should be so proud of and he said to my father and mother your kids are incredibly blessed but you have to see the other side. they were very involved in my life and from the age of 5 i went over there with him from four to six weeks, i waited in those bread lines. i can assure you it is not so glamorous when you are actually doing it. i have a 93-year-old grandmother who is still alive and she is

stay with us on bbc news, still to come: 30 years ago the communist regime in czechoslovakia collapsedhear from some of the leading figures at the time. president kennedy was shot down and died almost immediately. the murder ofjohn kennedy is a disaster for the whole free world. he caught the imagination of the world, the first of a new generation of leaders. margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of the conservative party and prime minister. before leaving number 10 to see the queen, she told her cabinet, "it's a funny old world." angela merkel is germany's first woman chancellor, easily securing the majority she needed. attempts to fly a hot—air balloon had to be abandoned after a few minutes, but nobody seemed to mind very much. as one local comic put it, "it's not hot air we need, it's hard cash." cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90. castro developed close ties with the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. you're watching the briefing

this seems to be based on publicly available records from the former czechoslovakia, the iron curtainh andrew murray, who works at the union unite, run by len mccluskey, close friend and ally ofjeremy corbyn. and he also works as a policy adviser, does andrew murray. and he allegedly met this spy from the czech republic, czechoslovakia, as it was, in chinatown in london and they had a meeting for one hour. asa and they had a meeting for one hour. as a result, they are saying he has links with the former regime. what does not surprise me as we all know, those of us who know andrew murray, he was a member of the communist party until five years ago. it is not big news. it does also say that he was not deeply informed about the position. i think you will find that more damaging than the allegations he was a lefty. let's go on to the story about the police investigation, the investigation into borisjohnson should be shelved until after the investigation. it is mysterious. the observer revealed the independent police watchdog has delayed its result. i have put the report into pardo, which

berlin and was there when the 1st east berlin is arrived in west berlin having driven through czechoslovakia hungry austria and the whole of germany so i have a very strong memory of it as well i would make 2 points the 1st is that none of it would have happened without gorbachev decision to pull the rug on the eastern european communist regimes that was decision he took in june and which he announced to the german chancellor helmut kohl at the time and all. the events that we remember now the jangling of keys in wenceslas square in prague the the torches the candlelight the songs and so on all that was nothing but operetta it was political operetta it was froth on a tidal wave of history but it was not the cause of the tidal wave of history the cause i'm afraid was much more basic and much more realistic it was the decision as i say of the soviet union no longer to support. those regimes and once the support of moscow had been withdrawn they collapsed so it was not the triumph of people in the streets of prague or berlin the whatever it was instead of the jew political decision taken by mos

so now what is happening is east german are going south through czechoslovakia into hungry to escape to west germany. there is a whole flow of people going down and up to czechoslovakia into hungry back into west germany. this horrifies the east german regime and sees itself to death. they try to choke off travel to hungry and not only resulted in a new crisis with refugees piling up. the east german regime makes a decision to seal the borders of germany and ireland. this turns out to be a huge mistake. it turned east germany into a pressure cooker. there is a serious life under dictatorship to help explain why. if you live under a dictatorship you basically have three choices. those choices are loyalty, exit or voice. that means you can derail and complain and stay quiet which happens or you can exit and try to flee so when the border open between hungry and austria you can exit but then when it sealed off east germany suddenly they were withdrawn intolerable so the only other option was voice for protest. so there starts to be massive protest particularly in the southern part of ea

it's been 30 years since the velvet revolution brought down communism in what used to be czechoslovakia now checks are back on the streets demanding more democracy they're calling for the resignation of prime minister andres popish. here up to date now and v.w. news from me and the entire news team here in berlin thanks for watching. live. from should go to. the mall in support of. what's a big. oval. deliberate. show head of things this is to move balls speaking welcome to the show with your. concerts. with philips transcript. and then incredible location. released on t.w. . try to trust and john has been working as an engineer in stuttgart in southern germany for 6 years now he's getting married and going back to his home country india to celebrate the wedding together with his family in the southern state of colorado. is going to spend it on the 1st of my family to study abroad and work abroad as well. and i 1st of my family to marry a woman from outside carolla. to fulfill it's just business it's not that normal in india. working in europe and taking a bride in faraway carolla are b

summer of 1909 more and more east german refugees escaped the country via hungry and the former czechoslovakia then in september 1989 the west german foreign minister. addressed the thousands of refugees who had been stranded in prague. from the balcony of the west german embassy he announced that these east german citizens were allowed to enter the west freely. ossified was these were all milestones on the road to reunification and the beginning of the end of east germany on november the night is a fateful day in german history as we heard it marks the fall of the berlin wall but also the date of the night of broken glass and not in 38 nazis attacked jewish people and property the start of the systematic persecution of jews that led to the horrors of the holocaust oh poor call enough the ups the it was nearly no good on the note 55696 names read aloud by members of the jewish community in berlin names of berlin victims of the holocaust a service to commemorate the night of broken glass took place under visible police protection with recent anti-semitic attacks fresh in people's memory. under

to ovata czechoslovakia standing permanent departures can occur by all of the border crossings between east germany and west germany and west berlin. shortly after press conference the western camera crew were filming in a pub in east berlin here people were drinking a toast to the new regulation. people get yourself all the. way i don't know what to say i used to cry every day now we're all happy it's our it's great what's just happened nobody here was expecting but. they celebrated the unexpected news with beer bubbly and rock'n'roll. the soviet envoy only had about the new regulation from the television. came as a shock. to come go from cuba hawkish people really hadn't known anything about it for we were watching television. it was disappointing and we were if you like or a bit angry for years books. me to you the tension was rising all the time for no. shtick and the danger that someone would lose their nerve was quite high and you may have been there shooting. the border crossing point a spawn her mashed ass and. full of t.v. if i didn't have to wait long for people to arrive aft

the officials knew the people of east germany were still fleeing via hungary in czechoslovakia they knew things couldn't stay as they were but they couldn't agree on a solution. after a few kilometers further north was the bornholmer strasse a crossing point between east and west berlin one of the busiest border posts in the divided city lieutenant colonel started work at passport control at 8 am. all the more homo strasser crossing point was basically the purpose of my life everything happened my entire professional life was there i really felt i had a calling to fill a position. for a beautiful movement. on the 9th of november was a normal thursday there wasn't much travel activity around 200 west germans came in just under a 1000 from west berlin would stop counting east german citizens. a normal day in divided berlin at least that's how it seemed. what no one knew was that the working group was in the process of making a momentous decision on travel policy. on their own initiative. and the other officers changed the brief given them by the politburo an unprecedented occurrence in the

up it's been 30 years since the velvet revolution brought down communism and what used to be czechoslovakia now checks are back on the streets demanding more democracy calling on the resignation of their prime minister. and way book rough welcome to the program a fiery anniversary today across france as the yellow vest movement marks one year since 1st taking to the streets in paris police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse at times violent crowds the movement which has been accused of tolerating anti-semitism and nationalist views in its ranks is attracting fewer people these days yet activists say they'll keep up the pressure on the government to improve the lives of regular workers. then numbers have dropped since they peaked last year but france's you know best protesters are still determined to take a stand against inequality in time living costs the movement's 1st anniversary soon the now familiar confrontation with riot police on the streets of paris. i was shocked to read a book i couldn't even breathe there was some much tear gas if the guy from mcdonald's hadn't opened the

the great and not so great but we will get into shortly i had a mother that escaped communist czechoslovakia and perhaps this is why for me it is such an honor to be here at the reagan library, the guy that actually took down the soviet union. [applause] for me, unlike those that are espousing the views of socialism and communism is no longer a fringe element that they are out there. in the mainstream pop culture today unlike them, i've actually experienced it myself, like i've actually been there. i had a blue-collar grandfathering patrician who saw the incredible blessings we have in this country and freedom, all the things we should be so proud. he said your kids are blessed. from about the age of five i went over there with them every summer from four to six weeks. i waited in a bread line and i can assure you it isn't so glamorous when you are actually doing it. i have a 93-year-old grandmother who is still alive. she's still over there and i get a call every few feet. she only has cnn and leftist propaganda. she calls me and this is a woman probably tougher than most of us maybe not as

citizens they've managed to get across to the west going via 3rd countries they are hungry of czechoslovakia but there was also public protest on the streets it wasn't just here in berlin but also in other east german cities like dresden and like says people were taking to the streets to demand democracy they wanted freedom of press freedom and freedom of assembly and in the year that the east german regime was actually hoping to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the east german state its citizens were taking to the street to demand the reform or even the demise of that very state so some concessions had to be made 1st of all there were some changes that the top for example was removed as party leader the politburo was going to the root reforms but it wasn't enough or at least it came too late when on the 4th of november between high. if a 1000000 and a 1000000 people gathered at the city's alexanderplatz right underneath the iconic t.v. tower the party leaders knew they had to do something they had to make some kind of big concession for the protesters and that's exactly what was being disc

up it's been 30 years since the celtic revolution brought down communism and what used to be czechoslovakia down checks are back on the streets demanding more democracy they're calling for the resignation of prime minister andre bobbish we go live to prague. germany's green wave to green party is surging in the polls thanks in part to its popular player at the top but can the greens eventually step into angela merkel's shoes. and way of glucose welcome to the program a fiery anniversary today across france as the gallo vest movement marks one year of their grassroots movement in paris police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse at times violent crowds the protest movement which has been accused of tolerating anti-semitism and nationalist views in its ranks is attracting fewer people these days it activists say they'll keep up the pressure on the government to improve the lives of regular workers. then numbers have dropped since they peaks last year but france's you know best protesters are. still determined to take a stand against inequality and high living costs the movement's 1st an

commemorating the start of the 1989 velvet revolution which toppled the communist regime in what was then czechoslovakia organizers say they want the czech republic to rediscover the pro-democracy ideals that fueled the protests 30 years ago. correspondent jonathan crane was at the protest in prague and he sent us this assessment. estimates suggest this has been the biggest demonstration in prague since the fall of communism says 30 years ago protesters waved placards calling for the resignation of prime minister on trade issues and whistles greeted his name every time it was mentioned by the speakers on stage is one of the current country's richest people but he's being investigated by the european union over his business interests because though he put his nagra chemicals conglomerate not referred into to trust funds his critics accuse him of still benefiting from it and indeed influencing it past prime minister now the protest leaders have called on him to either give up this conflict of interest resign or they threaten even bigger protested on a policy calling it more than 30 percent getting rid of

catalyzed that change in poland by having a lunch. .e went on to czechoslovakia 800,000 people in the square. when george bush said something like czechoslovakia be free, there was a roar like an express train and the building shook. everywhere he went, he recognized that he had to do things in a way that did not embarrass gorbachev. date, november 9 , and we are sitting in the oval office. i do not remember if you were there. and the press secretary comes in and says, you have to watch in the room next to the oval office and see what is on tv. berlin people walking across the checkpoint without being shot. more, the first few, we were told came through apprehensively to test whether the liberation and reforms that were taking place in the rest of eastern europe were going to be acceptable at the berlin wall and it seemed to be. as they kept coming through more and more, it was clear that the berlin wall was no longer the berlin wall. course, the president realized that she was in a precarious position. he did not want to gloat. hardlinerst the would take that as an excuse to stop wha

i had a mother who escaped communist czechoslovakia. and perhaps this is why for me is such an honor to be here at the reagan library. that guy that actually took down the soviet union. [applause] because for me, unlike those on the left today that espouses the incredible virtue it is no longer a fringe element. they are out there mainstream pop culture today. i have actually experienced it myself brick i have beeneni there. i had a grandfather who was a blue-collar electrician from czechoslovakia. and he saw the incredible blessings we had in this country and the freedoms that we had all the things we should be so proud of. he told my parents your kids are incredibly blessed but they have to see the other side. they were very involved in my life from the age of b five i went over there with him every summer between four and six weeks. i waited in the bread lines per i can show you it's not so glamorous when you're actually doing it. have a 93 old grandmother who is still alive. and she is still over there and spend time with us here ev

we went on to czechoslovakia with 800,000 people in the square.e bush said something like czechoslovakia will be free and there was a roar like an express train and the building shook. , heywhere he went recognized he had to do things in a way that did not embarrass gorbachev. date, november 9 and we are sitting in the oval office. do president was there and i not remember if you were there. the press secretary comes in and see, you have to watch and what is on tv. walkinghe east berlin across the checkpoint without being shot. few, we more, the first were told came through whethersively to test the liberation and reforms that were taking place in the rest of eastern europe were going to be acceptable at the berlin wall. it seemed to be. they kept coming through more and more and it was clear that the berlin wall was no longer the berlin wall. the press -- the president realized that gorbachev was in a precarious position. thought the hardliners might take it as an excuse to stop what gorbachev was doing, so george bush responded in a very level w

berlin it's been 30 years since the velvet revolution brought down communism in what used to be czechoslovakia now checks are back on the streets demanding more democracy they're calling for the resignation of prime minister andre bobbish we'll go live to prague also coming up to polls close in sri lanka as much as.

up it's been 30 years since the velvet revolution brought down communism and what used to be czechoslovakia now checks are back on the streets demanding more democracy they're calling for the resignation of prime minister andre bobbish. and germany's high.

up it's been 30 years since the velvet revolution brought down communism and what used to be czechoslovakianow checks are back on this.

up it's been 30 years since the bell that revolution brought down communism in what used to be czechoslovakia now checks are back on the streets demanding more democracy they're calling for the resignation of prime minister andre bobbish we'll go live to prague.

laura: 30 years ago this week the communist regime in czechoslovakia collapsed after mass pro-democracy protests. the velvet revolution was a peaceful transition of power from communism to democracy. it completed when leadin dissident and playwright vaclav havel became president. our correspondent john simpson, who cover the events in 1989, has returned to prague. john: nowadays problem isxe reand beautiful and jampacked with tourists. you got to be 50 or more to remember how poverty-stricken it was under communism, and how brutal. intellectuals led by the famous playwright vaclav havel kept up the resistance ever since the russian invasion of 1968. they had been spied on and beaten up and jailed for years. but by 1989, things were changing. a new generation came out onto the streets to support people that support tdim, people who 't remember 1968. monica was one of the student leaders. nowadays she teaches students herself and she still remembers to see how many people turnedgo out to demonstrate. >> i was the first speaker. i could not believe it. i saw thousands and thousands of peop

via back into west germany, a whole flow of people going down and up from east germany down to czechoslovakia, through hungry and back up into west germany, and this horrifies the east german regime. it seemses themselves bleeding to death. so the east german regime tries to choke off travel to hungary, and that only results in a new crisis which is refugees piling up in the west german embassy in prague. so the east german machine makes the decision too seal the borders to east germany entirely. this turns out to be a huge mistake. it turns east germany into a pressure cooker. there's a theory of life under dictatorship that helps explain while. according to theory if you live under a dictatorship you basically have three choices how to conduct your life. loyalty, exit, or voice. loyalty, exit, or voice. and what that means is either you can just be loyal and just put up with and it not complain, and stay quiet. which had happened during long periods in east german history. or you can exit. you can try to flee, and so when the border opened, between hungary and astoria, suddenly exit became

up it's been 30 years since the velvet revolution brought down communism and what used to be czechoslovakia now checks are back on the streets demanding more democracy they're calling for the resignation of prime minister andre bauer.

germans leaving their country to travel through communist nations such as hungary, poland, or czechoslovakia. that is the route tens of thousands of germans have taken over the last several weeks. the announcement was made by the spokesman of a number of the euro pair the government has been under heavy pressure from the new political opposition and from the tens of thousands leaving the country. here's how the announcement was made on east german television this evening. >> [speaking foreign language] the right tosays cross through all border points between east germany in west germany. including east berlin and west berlin. that announcement was made at the news conference which was concluded a few minutes ago in east berlin. two points to keep in mind, first of all, the berlin wall, the wall of concrete and barbed wire still stands. as of now, it appears to be nothing more than a symbol of the old iron curtain because east germaners will have the right to leave into west berlin itself. announcer: you can watch archival films on public affairs in their entirety on our weekly series, reel a

soo now east germans are going through -- there's a whole of being going down through czechoslovakia. and this horrifies the regime. bleeding tolf death. so the regime first tries to hungary, travel to to --er with hard liners theeast german regime makes fateful decision to seal the borders of east germany entirely. be a huge out to mistake. it turns east germany into a pressure cooker. live under a dictatorship, you basically have three choices as to how you your life. those choices are loyalty, exit or voice. voice., exit or what that means is either you can just be loyal and just put up with it. complain, and stay quiet, which had happened during of east german history, or you can exit. you can try to flee. the border opened between hungary and austria, option. exit became an but then when the regime sealed suddenly exitn, was withdrawn. loyally seemed to longer tolerable. remaining option was voice. there started to to be mass protests particularly in the part of germany, in part because people had been to czechoslovakia or hungary. they simply got stuck there. who putbers of peop

i don't know exactly it can be everywhere it can be in in the czechoslovakia over the border can be in russia it can be wherever in the world. someone is flying to another country i don't know exactly where it is and so when something like this happens. yeah and you mention that it might be that they sell it or it might be that they actually ransom them back to the state they might just call them say ok we've got your jewels how much would you give us for them does that so i think go on. i think it is going they would try to rennes get money from the from the state i think is what i think now ok and do insurance companies ever suggest with criminals to try and get stolen items back they do it is sometimes. they say no but this is what we're trying to time they are discussing with the police how to find all. the stone things are they have their helping to find back get back these stone things this is like when governments say we don't deal with terrorists and then there are so you know the hostage is not in a legal vault so but from time to time they are doing it so it does go on and wh