Radim Hladek, 19, is a radical Marxist. He is a law student in Prague and writes articles for anarchist magazines. For weeks he has been preparing for protests against the IMF and World Bank. He says he and his friends plan to bring the Czech capital to a standstill and force the financial institutions to disband.
Special report: The IMF and World Bank in Prague
Friday September 22, 2000
"I was only nine when the Velvet Revolution brought an end to the former regime. It's largely just a few flashes in my memory, but I do remember the strange atmosphere that pervaded as we watched TV and saw events unfold. "I put a Czech flag up in the window, as I was feeling a bit patriotic although my parents were afraid the authorities would get angry. It was an experience that helped to shape my personality. "As we prepare for our demonstrations now, I have similar feelings: in 1989 the protest led to the toppling of a bunch of rulers who were responsible for huge damage and a lot of suffering. "Those who led the revolution were largely ordinary, like Vaclav Havel, and people thought he could solve their problems, but he has become part of the power machine and is now detached from ordinary people. "So now, in 2000, we're also hoping to bring a regime to its knees, but this time we want to shift the initiative to the hands of the ordinary people: this is direct democracy. "I was drawn towards Marxism because as I grew up I was always hearing people denounce it. So, when I was 15, I picked up Das Kapital, and realised Marx was right in his criticism of capitalism. At school I soon began to recognise that the teachers were interpreting our history simply through the eyes of private capitalism and distorting the truth just like the former regime. "My parents - my father is director of a bakery, and my mother who used to be a clerk at an agricultural cooperative is now unemployed - think I'm a bit of a dreamer. They always tell me my ideas are great, but say it would be impossible for them to be realised. My brother is 17, and doesn't remember the revolution, so he doesn't have the privilege of having lived in the two worlds - of state capitalism and then private capitalism - so he doesn't really understand my ideals. "I feel great about what's happening in Prague now. There's a great sensation you get from this solidarity from people all around the world who have joined us in the fight. I get a sense of what we could become as a movement. But at the moment we're not strong enough to take control of our lives for the whole year, so we'll just have to make the most of this brief taster."