Each year the Czech Sokols commemorate October 8th as the reminder of the tragic events in the organization’s history. On the night of October 7, 1941, the “Sokol Action” was launched by a decree of Reinhard Heydrich, acting Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. The decree’s orders were to arrest and subsequently deport Sokol representatives to concentration camps and to paralyze the organization’s resistance activity. On that day hundreds of Sokol members were arrested, the organization was dissolved and its’ property was confiscated.
Throughout the Second World War Sokol was among the most prominent source of resistance. Over 3,000 Sokol members were executed during the Nazi totalitarian regime and another 8,000 were imprisoned.
During 2018, the Civic Democratic Party proposed the inclusion of Sokol Memorial Day as an “Important Day” of the Czech Republic. In January of 2019 the Senate of the Czech Republic approved October 8th to be recognized as Sokol Memorial Day. President Milos Zeman signed this legislation.
At the October 22, 2019 Executive Board meeting of the American Sokol, a motion was approved that American Sokol will observe Sokol Memorial Day. We share our roots with Sokols and together we will always remember October 8th with Sokols around the world.
This content was prepared by Susan Bares, National Education Director of ASO