Czechoslovak hockey riots

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Czechoslovak hockey riots

In March 1969, during the Cold War, crowds in Prague and across Czechoslovakia celebrated the national hockey team’s wins over the Soviet Union in the World Ice Hockey Championships in Stockholm. The victory came as the country was still under Soviet occupation after the invasion in 1968, and many people wanted change after the Prague Spring.

Hundreds of thousands of fans filled streets to celebrate, but in some places the celebrations turned into protests against the Soviet presence. In Prague, protesters shouted anti-occupation slogans, including "No tanks were there, so they lost!" The next night, many carried signs showing the score of the game (4–3) and cried, "Czechoslovakia 4 – Occupation forces 3!" Some protests turned violent, and protesters attacked the Soviet Aeroflot office on Wenceslas Square. Some accounts say State Security agents may have encouraged these acts.

The protests were quickly put down by the Czechoslovak army and police, now controlled by hardline Communist leaders. The events helped justify removing Prague Spring leaders, including First Secretary Alexander Dubček, who resigned and was replaced by Gustáv Husák, beginning a period of normalization.

In the years that followed, hockey games against the Soviet Union became a quiet way for people to protest, even though police were kept on alert.