Here, Paul Goldsmith describes his photos. A short gallery follows.
Prague During The 1968 Invasion, Captured By Paul Goldsmith
On a break from his studies, Paul Goldsmith spent a year traveling around Israel and Europe on his motorcycle Vespa, taking photos along the way. He arrived in Prague on August 20, 1968 and woke up the following day to the noise of engines and the sight of tanks. He grabbed his camera and started taking pictures in the streets of Prague.
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Trucks full of heavily armed soldiers rumbled past the National Museum. Despite the danger, in the faces of these young soldiers I saw confusion and bewilderment.
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A weary occupying soldier leans on the lid of his tank.
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The day of protest and marches around the city, culminated in a huge crowd in Wenceslas Square. For a photographer, the experience was compelling, with a dramatic shot around every corner. There was also a terribly sad, transcendent feeling of the importance of this moment in history and a sense that I was on a tragic stage, witness to futile resistance facing the raw power of Soviet force.
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This photo of the sit down protest in front of the National Museum is displayed in a museum dedicated to the history of passive resistance in Johannesburg, South Africa at the house of Mahatma Gandhi.
