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Community reaction to Vaclav Havel's death

by Community Team Posted: December 18, 2011 12:13 PM Last Updated: December 18, 2011 12:24 PM

Categories: World

Former Czech Republic president and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Vaclav Havel, shown in this February 2011 photo, died Sunday morning at the age of 75.(Petr David Josek/Associated Press)The death of Vaclav Havel, the dissident playwright and a hero of the Cold War, elicited praise, condolences and moments of reflection from Canadians and the CBC Community.

Havel died Sunday morning at his weekend house in the northern Czech Republic, his assistant Sabina Dancecova said. He was 75.

Havel was his country's first democratically elected president after the nonviolent "Velvet Revolution" that ended four decades of repression by a regime he ridiculed as "Absurdistan."

Both "Vaclav Havel" and "Velvet Revolution" were Twitter trends in Canada. Author Margaret Atwood and CBC's Jian Ghomeshi were some of the Canadians who weighed in on his passing.



Readers shared their condolences on CBCNews.ca. Here is a sample of them.

  • "Rest in Peace Václav Havel. Havel was a true patriot and fighter for democratic freedoms against the iron fist of Communist tyranny and oppression which had enslaved the Czech's and the other nations of Central and Eastern.He will be missed by all true democrats and lovers of individual freedom." - Upper Canadian
  • "Vaclav Havel was that rarest of people: an honest politician." - Tacitus
  • "Václav Havel has been my personal hero since I was young, during the days of The Plastic People of the Universe and Charter 77. I encourage everyone to read his books, particularly Letters to Olga, which shows he was an ordinary flawed human being who pushed through the fear and discomfort in order to uphold what was right and just. I can think of few people in his league." - formeralbertan
  • "Vaclav Pavel was a courageous man who stood up for what he believed. Not only was a gifted writer but his struggle for Czech freedom from Soviet rule is legendary. Worth noting was his strong skepticism of the theory of man made global warming. His thoughts and insights maybe provoking to some but nonetheless a worthwhile read. We have lost a lion." - Hawkwood
  • "He was the right man at the right time to lead Czechoslovakia out of oppression from Soviet Communism. Unlike most 'political' leaders, he wasn't so much 'elected' ... his writings and messages earned him the respect of the people." - Username Here

Thanks to the CBC Community for your feedback. You can still leave your comments on our main news story, on this page, or you can send your stories and memories about Havel at yournews@cbc.ca.

Tags: World