The Candle Demonstration (in Slovak sviečková demonštrácia) on 25 March 1988 in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia was the first mass demonstration of the 1980s against communist regime in Czechoslovakia. March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bratislava - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... National motto: None Official language Slovak Capital Bratislava President Ivan Gašparovič Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 126th 49,035 km² Negligible Population  - Total (2004)  - Density Ranked 103rd 5,379,455 109/km² Independence January 1, 1993 (division of Czechoslovakia) Currency Slovak koruna Time zone  - in summer CET... Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Communism is a term that can refer to one of several things: a social and economic system, an ideology which supports that system, or a political movement that wishes to implement that system. ... Czechoslovakia (Czech: Československo, Slovak: Česko-Slovensko/before 1990 Československo) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1992 (except for the World War II period). ...

The Demostration was organized by Roman Catholic dissent groups which asked for religious freedom in Czechoslovakia. The peaceful Candle Demonstration of ten thousand believers was brutally suppressed by the police. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... For the political magazine, see Dissent Magazine For the G8 protest group, see Dissent (network) Dissent is the sentiment of non-agreement with the majority, or the leader, of a group to which the dissenter is supposed to belong or to obey. ... Freedom of religion is the individuals right or freedom to hold whatever religious beliefs he or she wishes, or none at all. ... Czechoslovakia (Czech: Československo, Slovak: Česko-Slovensko/before 1990 Československo) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1992 (except for the World War II period). ...

The Catholic activist František Mikloško initiated a request for a permit to demonstrate, but his proposal was rejected by the authorities. Information about the event was propagated through Radio Free Europe and the Voice of America by Anton Hlinka. František Mikloško (2 June 1947, Nitra - ) is a Slovak politician. ... Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a radio and communications organization which is funded by the United States Congress. ... The Voice of America (VOA) is the official broadcasting service of the United States government. ...

The demonstration was the first important step towards destroying the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. 3000 Slovaks protested on the Hviezdoslav Square, Bratislava with candles in their hands, and further thousands in adjacent streets, while the main entrance to the square was blocked by secret police. Police used water cannons against protesters and they ran their sirens and yelled to protestors to get away from the square. Then the police pounded the protesters with batons and sticks. ... BATON is a Type 1 encryption algorithm, used broadly throughout the U.S. government to secure all types of classified information. ...

Interestingly, leading Communist functionaries (e. g. the Slovak prime minister, minister of the interior, minister of culture) were observing the whole "operation" from inside of the Carlton Hotel situated at the Hviezdoslav square.