Record-Breaking Protests Against Fico's Government Take Place in 24 Cities Across Slovakia
On Thursday evening, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of 24 cities in Slovakia to protest against the law enforcement reform proposed by Prime Minister Robert Fico.
This was reported by Aktuality and Domov.sme.
According to Slovak media estimates, more than 26,000 people took part in the rally in the capital Bratislava on Thursday evening, and thousands more protested in other cities.
It was the largest anti-government demonstration in Slovakia since the Fico government announced its plans for law enforcement reform.
However, the protesters' demands have now expanded. The protesters' key demands are now not only about plans to amend the criminal code and the controversial reform of the special prosecutor's office, but also about the resignation of the pro-Russian Minister of Culture Martina Šimkovičová, as well as about the car accident of the leader of the Slovak National Party, Andrej Danko, a partner in Fico's coalition, who fled the scene.
More than 40,000 Slovaks have already signed a petition calling on Šimkovičová to resign. The pro-Russian Minister of Culture, Šimkovičová, was targeted by thousands of outraged people after she published a poll on social media asking whether her ministry should support cultural heritage or rather the activities of the LGBT+ community.
All three opposition leaders who organise these events spoke at the protest in Bratislava. The first to speak was the head of KDH, Milan Majerski. He spoke for only a few minutes, thanking people for their support and calling the coalition's amendment to the Criminal Code shameful.
Richard Sulik, the head of SaS, spoke much longer, describing to the audience what the new Criminal Code would mean in practice.
"Tax fraud for half a million euros. Today, 7–12 years is hard. After the amendment, six months to three years," he said. "Slovakia will become an Eldorado for criminals," he also exclaimed. "Mafia! Mafia!" the protesters responded.
The last to speak was the head of the ODS, Michal Simečka. He called on the prime minister to cancel the "crazy laws" and told him to "put on the brakes". "You are drunk with power. Slow down, otherwise you will crash. And not just to the pole," he said.
Earlier, Slovak President Zuzana Chaputova, in a speech to the country's parliament on 18 January, called on lawmakers to reconsider plans to amend the criminal code and dissolve the special prosecutor's office, which had raised EU concerns about the rule of law.