Lenka Kocourová

“They gathered us at work that we must condemn it, meaning the Charter. Once at noon: 'Don't go to lunch, there will be a meeting.' We didn't even know what. They wanted us to condemn the Charter. And I remember the architect Špaček saying: 'You want us to condemn something, but we don't know what. Well, read it to us! What is the Charter?' It wasn't said, people were not informed. But I already had the Charter from Zorka, so I know I secretly gave it to my colleagues to read; there was nothing wrong with what you couldn't sign. But as I heard what was happening, I had no courage at all. I'm going to say I'm a complete coward. I knew what they did to people ... Dana Němcová, how she got locked up. Children took care of themselves at home. I heard that kind of news.”

“When there was the currency in 1953 and food tickets were given, we, as tradesmen, had none at all, just the grandmother´s. We were two children and the whole family and we were very grateful - I am an evangelical and there is an evangelical church in Dobříš, so those people have supported us a lot. They knew we didn’t have any. And I remember that we went to the forest for mushrooms, blueberries, raspberries. I still can't eat mushrooms, because in my childhood I have eaten so many! And we had a garden, we had enough fruit, we had hens and rabbits. But the idea that I was not yet three years old, my brother was about five, and about three months we were not entitled, they gave us nothing. That way they were pushing dad to join the national enterprise and cease his to be the sole trader. They just wanted us to starve, to say it simply.”