On 26 September 2026 a procession in support of deaf people passed through central Prague; according to ČTK, dozens of people took part. The event was part of the ZnakoFest festival, which began on Monday 21 September and culminated on Saturday at Lesser Town Square[1][3].
Course of the event
The procession set off at 11 a.m. from Náměstí Republiky. At the Municipal House, several girls performed the Czech anthem in sign language on the balcony. At Můstek, two performers staged a theatre scene about a robot that learns sign language and becomes a translator. A third performance, on Křižovnické náměstí, concerned the different approach of a hearing mother and a deaf mother to a deaf child[1][2][3].
Aim of the event
The organiser and chairman of the Znakovárna association, Jan Wirth, said that deaf people want more respect from hearing people and do not want to be exposed to prejudice. According to him, the aim of the event is awareness-raising, so that passers-by realise that the deaf community exists. Wirth also said that Czech is a foreign language for deaf people and that they would like most of society to know at least the basics of sign language[1][2][3].
The festival and its context
The ZnakoFest festival began in the evening in a café on Lesser Town Square whose staff had been trained and tried to communicate with deaf customers in Czech Sign Language. On Wednesday 23 September, when the International Day of the Deaf is celebrated, Prague trams were decorated with deaf flags and several places, among them the Dancing House, the Petřín Lookout Tower, the Žižkov Television Tower and the Troja Bridge, were lit in turquoise. According to the Czech Union of the Deaf, about 7,600 people live in the Czech Republic who were born deaf or lost their hearing at school age, and about 15,000 people have a hearing impairment from birth or childhood[1][3].
Chronology
- — A march in support of deaf people passed through the centre of Prague. Pražský deník iDNES.cz
Sources
- Pražský deník — 26 September 2026
- iDNES.cz — 26 September 2026
- Pražská Drbna — 26 September 2026