Swasi down!

During the First Republic, a significant German minority inhabited Brno; they began radicalising themselves after Adolf Hitler’s accession to power, and the city streets were witness to frequent skirmishes, mainly between young Czechs and Germans. During the occupation Brno, Germans became a privileged social group. In November 1939, a Reich celebration was held in Brno to commemorate the German victims of World War I. The German inhabitants were permitted to honor the day by flying the Reich flag, but only on the condition that it would displayed together with the Czech one. Květoslava Musilová set out into the streets with her friends, and together they watched the celebration unfold itself. “We came to St Jacob’s Church, behind which there stood some important German office. The house had the swastika on display, but there was the Czech flag next to it. A lot of people gathered there, mainly young Czechs, who protested and shouted: ‘Swasi down! Swasi down!’ The situation became very tense, and when the police arrived in their uniforms soon after, we decided to leave. We later heard that it had turned into a brawl.”