Editing Velvet Revolution (section)

===18 November===
Two students visited Prime Minister [[Ladislav Adamec]] at his private residence and described to him what happened on Národní Street. The strike at the Realistic Theatre was declared and other theatres quickly followed.  The theaters opened their stages only for public discussions.

At the initiative of students from the [[Academy of Performing Arts in Prague]], the students in Prague went on strike. This strike was joined by university students throughout Czechoslovakia. Theatre employees and actors in Prague supported the strike. Instead of going on stage, actors read a proclamation by the students and artists to the audience, calling for a general strike on 27 November.

Home-made posters and proclamations were posted. As all media (radio, TV, newspapers) were strictly controlled by the Communist Party (see [[Mass media in Communist Czechoslovakia]]), this was the only way to spread the message.

In the evening, [[Radio Free Europe]] reported that a student (named as [[Martin Šmíd]]) was killed by the police during the previous day's demonstration. Although the report was false, it heightened the feeling of crisis, and persuaded some hesitant citizens to overcome their fear and join the protests.<ref name="Glenn" />