On March 25, 1988, I went down in history as one of the most significant public expressions of resistance to the communist regime in the former Czechoslovakia. I was the harbinger of the gentle revolution of November 17, 1989, which led to the fall of forty years of totalitarianism and the beginning of democracy. About 2,000 people gathered on Hviezdoslav Square in Bratislava for half an hour because of me, and thousands more were in the adjacent streets. There were no speeches during the rally, the demonstrators expressed their opposition with burning candles and prayers. The state police responded with violence, using batons and water cannons against the demonstrators. Dozens of people, including those who happened to be in the centre of Bratislava, were arrested and interrogated for many hours. The brutal intervention against me, against the silent prayer manifestation, caused resistance in the democratic world. What happened to me was broadcast by BBC, Voice of America, Free Europe, and Vatican Radio. Domestic state propaganda, on the other hand, published a report about an allegedly unsuccessful attempt by some individuals to abuse people's religious feelings.