Zaorálek wants to unite the conflicting groups around the Lidice Memorial

Prague - Minister of Culture Lubomír Zaorálek (ČSSD) wants to organize a meeting on Monday in Lidice for all the conflicting groups involved in the dispute that led to the resignation of the director of the local memorial, Martina Lehmannová. He stated this today during interpellations in the Chamber of Deputies. He reiterated that he wants to announce as soon as possible a selection process for Lehmannová's successor, who would be able to unite the survivors and their descendants.

"I am looking for someone who has a feel for the complex issues in Lidice. I want to find such a director who will bring these matters together," Zaorálek said in response to a question from ODS deputy Martin Baxa.

Some people who survived the extermination of Lidice accused the director last year of distorting the facts. This was a reaction to a television report about an alleged report made by a resident of Lidice, who informed the police about her Jewish subtenant. Lehmannová denied the accusations and resigned on January 21 due to loss of trust in Zaorálek.

"We are not going to wage any wars with anyone there. It is important that the community does not fragment," the minister stated. According to him, the Lidice Memorial, led by Lehmannová, should have sought a way to bridge the dispute. He reiterated that a portion of the survivors refused to cooperate with the memorial. According to Zaorálek, the meeting on Monday should take place after a government meeting.

The Lidice Memorial commemorates the Nazi extermination of the village of Lidice on June 10, 1942. The pretext was the alleged connection of the village with the assassination of the Reich Protector Reinhardt Heydrich; of the approximately 500 residents of Lidice, 160 survived the war. On June 10, 1942, 173 Lidice men were shot directly in Lidice, and subsequently, on June 16, 1942, another 26 Lidice citizens were shot in Prague-Kobylisy. Fifty-three Lidice women did not survive their stay in concentration camps. In a deportation camp, 82 Lidice children were suffocated in a gas van. After liberation, 143 Lidice women and 17 children gradually returned to Lidice.