The protest united the opposition, together with the liberal Progressive Slovakia, pro-business Freedom and Solidarity and the conservative Christian Democrats who all say Fico is a menace to democracy.
1000’s of protesters have gathered in Slovakia’s capital on the thirty fifth anniversary of the beginning of the Velvet Revolution that introduced an finish to a long time of communist rule within the former Czechoslovakia to oppose the insurance policies of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico.
The protest united the opposition, together with the liberal Progressive Slovakia, pro-business Freedom and Solidarity and the conservative Christian Democrats who all say Fico is a menace to democracy.
‘The federal government takes our freedom and democracy,’ a banner within the crowd learn.
“Slovakia is and can be a part of the Western civilization,” a conservative political veteran František Mikloško, who was one of many Slovak leaders in 1989, advised the gang in downtown Bratislava.
“We do not need anybody to maneuver us towards Moscow.”
Freedom and Solidarity chief Branislav Gröhling mentioned Fico is main the nation “to an authoritarian regime like in Russia and communist China.”
Michal Šimečka, the pinnacle of Progressive Slovakia, which is at present the most well-liked celebration within the nation, mentioned the opposition will do what it takes to guard freedom and democracy.
“Slovakia is and can be a nation of free folks. And free folks will not be silent,” he mentioned.
Fico and his leftist Smer (Course) celebration received final 12 months’s parliamentary elections on a pro-Russia and anti-America platform.
His authorities has pushed via a plan to overhaul public broadcasting, a transfer critics mentioned would give the federal government full management of public tv and radio.
That, together with a transfer to amend a penal code and remove a particular anti-graft prosecutor, has led opponents to fret that he would lead Slovakia down a extra autocratic path, following the path of Hungary below populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Fico’s views on the conflict in Ukraine and different points differ sharply from the European mainstream.
Fico ended his nation’s navy support for Ukraine, opposes EU sanctions on Russia, desires to dam Ukraine from becoming a member of NATO and plans a visit to Russia.
The autumn of Communism
The Velvet Revolution, so known as due to its non-violent nature, happened from 17 November to twenty-eight November 1989 and was one in all a number of anti-Communism actions in jap Europe on the finish of the eighties.
Demonstrations and strikes in opposition to the one-party authorities of the Communist Social gathering of Czeschoslovakia included folks from throughout the civilian spectrum, from college students and older dissidents.
The end result was the tip of 41 years of one-party rule within the nation, the dismantling of the centrally-planned financial system and the transition to a parliamentary democracy.
Czechoslovakia peacefully break up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.