Man Burns Himself in Prague 50 Years After Student Died in Protest

The incident took place on Wenceslas Square in Prague, the same place where 50 years ago, student activist Jan Palach set himself on fire in protest against the deployment of Soviet troops to Czechoslovakia.

A man in his 50s set himself on fire on Wenceslas Square in Prague, local police reported, adding that the accident took place shortly after 3 p.m. local time.

According to an emergency services spokesperson, he has been placed into an artificial coma as 30 per cent of his body is covered with burns.

Incident se stal v horní částí Václavského náměstí. pic.twitter.com/7qnVzim1kG

— Anna Kottová (@kottovaa) January 18, 2019

This square is marked by a number of similar events. On 16 January 1969, student activist Jan Palach set himself on fire in protest against the deployment of Soviet troops to Czechoslovakia. He died three days later.

Policisté ohraničili horní část Václavského náměstí páskou. Okolí je pro dopravu zatím průjezdné. Lidé stojí okolo na chodnících. pic.twitter.com/6smLddC3vK

— Anna Kottová (@kottovaa) January 18, 2019

​Decades later, in 2013, another Czech citizen tried to burn himself. Thankfully, police used snow to extinguish the fire and he only had his fingers burnt. At that time, law enforcement concluded that it was an act of remembrance of Palach's self-sacrifice.