Thousands of Slovaks gathered to show their disapproval of the current government

On Sunday (17 November), people and politicians at a rally in the centre of Bratislava showed their disagreement with the policies of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and his government. The event was called by three opposition parties to mark the anniversary of the fall of the communist regime in the former Czechoslovakia.

The demonstration was organized on SNP Square, where a crowd of people repeatedly protested during the Velvet Revolution 35 years ago. According to Michal Šimečka, the head of the strongest opposition party Progressive Slovakia (PS), 17 thousand people came to yesterday's demonstration.

"Slovakia is and will always remain a part of Western civilization. We do not wish to be dragged towards Moscow," Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) MP and former dissident František Mikloško said from the podium. After the fall of the communist regime, he was one of the central figures of the Slovak political scene for many years.

"This is not just a commemoration of 17 November, this is also a protest against this government," said Branislav Gröhling, chair of the opposition SaS party, in his speech. The crowd then started chanting "enough of Fico“.

At the beginning of the rally, the organizers sang part of the song “Modlitba pro Martu“ by Czech singer Marta Kubišová, which also became one of the symbols of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia. A minute's silence was then observed in honour of a homeless man who was recently beaten to death by a Slovak police officer.

Source: STVR