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Plastic People of the Universe

A Prague-based psychedelic rock band formed in 1968, shortly after the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. The band’s nonconformist style and attitudes ran afoul of officially sanctioned norms, and the Plastic People often held their performances in secret locations outside of Prague in an attempt—frequently unsuccessful—to avoid conflicts with the authorities. Police often broke up concerts, sometimes arresting or beating fans and band members. After one such concert in February 1976, police arrested twenty-seven musicians and fans, and four were eventually sentenced to prison terms of 18 to 8 months on charges of organized disturbance of the peace. The Plastic People trial was a major spur to the creation of the Charter 77 movement.


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