On Friday, approximately 100,000 people took to the streets in cities throughout Slovakia, voicing their discontent with the government’s increasing alignment with Russia and urging respect for the nation’s commitments to NATO and the European Union.
Demonstrators call for accountability and transparency
Actor Tomáš Maštalír addressed a crowd of 60,000 in the capital, Bratislava, emphasizing the significance of Slovakia’s longstanding affiliations with the EU and NATO, which have been in place since 2004. “We’re here to remind you, politely but clearly, that we already chose years ago where we want to belong,” he stated, highlighting the demonstrators’ commitment to their Western alliances.
The protests were organized by the NGO “Slovakia is Europe” and occurred simultaneously in over 30 towns. They emerged in response to a notable shift in foreign policy toward Moscow initiated by Prime Minister Robert Fico’s administration since it assumed office in October 2023. The protesters not only demanded adherence to good governance principles but also called for a clearer and more transparent foreign policy, alongside demands for Fico’s resignation.
Fico’s controversial stance on foreign relations
Fico, who has served multiple terms as Slovakia’s leader and previously affiliated with the Communist Party during Czechoslovakia, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in December 2022. This meeting marked a rare encounter between a European leader and Putin following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Under Fico’s leadership, Slovakia has ceased military support for Ukraine and has opposed EU sanctions against Russia.
“We understand that this country’s political leadership can’t imagine that anyone could act freely and independently without some kind of personal gain,” Maštalír remarked, responding to Fico’s claims of foreign interference in the protests.
Tibor Gašpár, a member of Fico’s Smer party, expressed controversial views about the EU, suggesting that “the door must remain open to a situation when we might eventually consider such a drastic solution as leaving the EU.” Such comments, once unthinkable from mainstream Slovak politicians, have stirred significant anxiety among proponents of liberal and pro-Western policies in the country.
In the eastern city of Prešov, Eva Kulová, 84, addressed a gathering of 7,000 individuals, warning that “the specter of a coup haunts them [the Fico government] day and night.” Kulová, a founding member of the Public Against Violence NGO which played a crucial role in the 1989 revolution against Communism, reflected on the lasting impact of past oppression. “Those debts [from Communism] will continue to be paid by generations of our descendants. But we are here because of a different deficit. A moral deficit. That’s what brought us out to these city squares. And there will be more and more of us. Those who want to live in our little Slovakia, but in a civilized Europe,” she said.
Czech comic actor Bolek Polívka, 75, also joined the protesters, underscoring the notion that Fico’s accusations of a foreign-organized coup were a “cry of despair.” He affirmed the importance of maintaining Slovakia’s freedom, stating, “The most important thing is that Slovakia remain free.”