Editing Velvet Revolution (section)

===19 November===
[[File:Bratislava Slovakia 213.JPG|thumb|Memorial of the Velvet revolution in [[Bratislava]] (Námestie SNP), [[Slovakia]]:<br /> {{"'}}Only those who struggle for their freedom are worthy of it.' <br /> At this place in November 1989 we decided to take our responsibility for the future into our own hands. We decided to put an end to communism and to establish freedom and democracy."]]

Theatres in [[Bratislava]], [[Brno]], [[Ostrava]] and other towns went on strike. Members of artistic and literary associations as well as organisations and institutions joined the strike.

Members of a civic initiative met with the Prime Minister, who told them he was twice prohibited from resigning his post and that change requires mass demonstrations like those in East Germany (some 250,000 students). He asked them to keep the number of "casualties" during the expected change to a minimum.

About 500 Slovak artists, scientists and leaders met at the Art Forum (Umelecká beseda) in Bratislava at 17:00. They denounced the attack against the students in Prague on 17 November and formed [[Public Against Violence]], which would become the leading force behind the opposition movement in Slovakia. Its founding members included [[Milan Kňažko]], [[Ján Budaj]] and others.

Actors and members of the audience in a Prague theatre, together with [[Václav Havel]] and other prominent members of [[Charter 77]] and other dissident organisations, established the [[Civic Forum]] (Občanské fórum, an equivalent of the Slovak Public Against Violence for the territory of the Czech Republic) as a mass popular movement for reforms. They called for the dismissal of top officials responsible for the violence, and an independent investigation of the incident and the release of all [[political prisoner]]s.

College students went on strike. On television, government officials called for peace and a return to the city's normal business. An interview with Martin Šmíd was broadcast to persuade the public that nobody had been killed, but the quality of the recording was low and rumours continued. It would take several more days to confirm that nobody was killed, and by then the revolution had gained further momentum.

The leaders of the Democratic Initiative presented several demands, including the resignation of the government, effective 25 November, and the formation of a temporary government composed of non-compromised members of the current government.<ref name="Shepherd, Robin H 2000">Shepherd, Robin H. E. (2000). ''Czechoslovakia' The Velvet Revolution and Beyond''. New York: [[St. Martin's Press]].</ref>