International extremist forum underway in Slovakia

An international forum called 'Democracy in Danger?' was opened in Banská Bystrica on Tuesday, with U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Theodore Sedgwick among the participants, TASR learnt on the same day. The two-day event, taking place at the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations of Matej Bel University, is being organised by a civic platform called 'Not in Our Town' to mark UN Human Rights Day; December 10. The forum is intended to raise the level of caution surrounding political extremism, which the initiative says is on the rise - with Banská Bystrica aiming to be the first to say 'no' to it. Ironically, the 2013 governmental elections for the same region were won by Marian Kotleba, with voters choosing this controversial former leader of the far-right wing Slovak Togetherness organisation to be the head of the region. Both Slovaks and foreign guests are attending the two panel discussions, focusing on the issue of rising extremism in Europe and the role to be played by different elements of society in the fight against such tendencies.