I respect the gesture of a student who refused to shake my hand during the award ceremony at the Presidential Palace on Monday (January 13), President Peter Pellegrini told journalists during his foreign business trip to Italy, adding that it was an individual act of a young boy.
However, the head of state regrets that it overshadowed an event that was supposed to honour Slovakia's top pupils and teachers.
"I can do nothing but respect that. On the other hand, I'll put it like this: I was brought up in such a way that so far in my political career I've shaken hands with every person, even my political opponents, with whom I may have never agreed in political battles and will never agree. Decency and upbringing compel me to always treat even my political opponents decently," he said.
Pellegrini and Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Hlas-SD) gave awards to students who won international competitions. The student refused to shake hands with the President, as he believed that Pellegrini had employed fearmongering and lies during the 2023 presidential election campaign with respect to the war in Ukraine.
According to PM Robert Fico (Smer-SD) the President made a mistake when he said that he respects the student who refused to shake his hand when accepting an award for winning an international student competition, as there's nothing to respect in such behavior at an event.
Fico detailed what he would have done if the Education Minister had organized a similar event and one of the students had chosen not to shake his hand. "First off, I would have asked him if he had nursery at home. Secondly, I would have asked him what exactly his parents taught him. And thirdly, I would have taken away his award and, in front of all the media, sent him back where he belongs. Finally, I would have thanked the Education Minister for his cooperation," said Fico.
Source: TASR
