President Petr Pavel Spoke with Students About the Legacy of November 17th

On the occasion of the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, held a discussion with students at the Faculty of Social Studies. Nearly two hundred students filled the lecture hall to capacity, and the event was covered by student media outlets Radio R, MUNI TV, Studex, Atrium, and Stisk.

18 Nov 2025

The President was welcomed to the faculty by Dean Stanislav Balík, who then accompanied Petr Pavel to the fully packed P51 lecture hall, the largest room in our building. There, the distinguished guest was also welcomed by Masaryk University Rector Martin Bareš and moderator Kateřina Slaná.

In the discussion, Petr Pavel addressed questions about democracy and freedom, the role students played in defending these values in 1989, and several current social issues. He spoke with students for nearly an hour, and despite his busy schedule, he made time to answer questions from the student media outlets Radio R and MUNI TV.

It had been 18 years since there was a presidential visit to Masaryk University — the last visit was by Václav Klaus. The Faculty of Social Studies was proud to host the President of the Republic for the very first time. The exceptional nature of the visit was reflected in the enormous interest in the discussion, which far exceeded the capacity of the lecture hall.

You can take a look at photos from the President’s meeting with Masaryk University students.

Photos: Lucia Farkašová