Slovakia protests against PM Fico government, record number rally across cities — photos, videos
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Massive protests erupted against the government of the pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico across several cities in Slovakia, with a whopping 27,000 people in Bratislava alone, the local agency Aktuality said on Jan. 25.
Undeterred by strong winds, people joined the anti-government rally, proudly waving flags of Slovakia, Ukraine, the European Union, and the LGBT community. The crowd echoed chants of “Mafia Fico” and “Shame!”
Protesters weren’t confined to Slovakia; demonstrations took place abroad in cities like Paris, Krakow, Brno, and Prague.
The main agenda was the decision to abolish the special prosecutor’s office (ÚŠP) and the government’s actions, said the protest’s moderator, Kristina Tormová.
Read also: Slovakian military aid for Ukraine is over, but existing contracts will not be revoked
Fico’s ruling party, however, “did not like” the inclusion of other topics, especially those related to LGBT rights.
Closing the protest, Michal Šimečka, head of the social-liberal Progressive Slovakia party, took center stage.
“Fico thought there would be no protests against the amendment to the Criminal Code in winter, in the wind because it is a technical and political boredom,” Šimečka said.
“How he underestimated your determination to protect justice. He does not know your love for Slovakia, your eagerness to defend justice.”
Read also: Slovak PM Fico arrives in Uzhhorod to meet with Ukrainian counterpart Shmyhal
One of the key focuses of the protest was the presidential candidate and speaker of the Slovak parliament, Peter Pellegrini, criticized by the opposition for “not knowing how to manage the parliament autonomously.” Pellegrini obeys PM Fico “as if he has no agency,” Šimečka said.
Slovakia will continue to support Ukraine, despite the statements and actions of Fico, civil activist Eva Kulová said.
Approximately 800 people gathered in Slovac city Poprad, forming a united front with joined hands, chanting slogans like “Enough Fico,” “We won’t be silenced,” and “We won’t give up Slovakia.” The demonstration concluded with the crowd singing the national anthem before peacefully dispersing.
The protest in Kosice, now in its fifth iteration, featured not only MPs from three opposition parties but also representatives from the public sector. Residents shouted “Coward,” recalling Fico’s decision to visit Uzhhorod instead of Kyiv, just a few meters across the border.
Read also: Slovak PM Fico claims life in Kyiv 'absolutely normal' as Russian missiles hit city
Fico arrived in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal on Jan. 24. Fico confirmed that he opposes Ukraine’s membership in NATO during the meeting.
Following Russia’s missile attack on Kyiv on Jan. 23, Fico stated that life in the Ukrainian capital was “absolutely normal,” Reuters reported on the same day.
Anti-government protests in Slovakia
The initial protests began on Dec. 7 with a few hundred people, later spreading to 19 cities and towns.
Slovakia witnessed its largest protests against PM Fico’s government on Jan. 18, with approximately 25 thousand people rallying in Bratislava to oppose Fico’s proposed judicial reforms.
The proposed changes involve abolishing the special prosecutor’s office handling serious crimes like bribery, organized crime, and extremism.
Instead, these cases would be transferred to regional prosecutors who haven’t dealt with such crimes for 20 years.
The pro-Russian Smer-SD party led by Fico won the Slovak parliamentary elections on Oct.1. He is opposed to supporting Ukraine and its accession to NATO.
Read also: 25k rally in Bratislava, Slovakia against PM Fico’s judicial reform
Fico has repeatedly stated that Slovakia would stop military aid to Ukraine and focus only on humanitarian support. Fico also claimed that “it is better for Ukraine and Russia to negotiate over the next ten years than to kill each other.”
Rico has previously amplified false Russian narratives, claiming that “the war began in 2014, when Ukrainian Nazis and fascists began killing Russian citizens in Donbas and Luhansk.”
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
