President Andrej Kiska and Prime Minister Robert Fico, along with Parliamentary Chairmen Andrej Danko, attended the primary ceremony marking the 73rd anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) in Banská Bystrica on Tuesday. All three politicians used this opportunity to condemn the rise of fascism in Slovakia. According to Kiska, Slovaks should do more than just lay flowers and commemorate the courage of ancestors who fought against the fascist regime of the time. He believes that citizens should come together to vote fascists out of key positions.
"This year's regional elections should become the elections in which Slovakia stands up against an ideology of evil and drives a fascist away from the Banská Bystrica Office," stated Kiska. The president was thus referring to the fact that the region's governor for the last four years has been the leader of the far-right People's Party-Our Slovakia (ĽSNS) Marián Kotleba.
Prime Minister Robert Fico stated in his own speech that he is confounded how 73 years after the Uprising there is a building near the SNP memorial where people use a fascist greeting to each other. Hence, similarly to Kiska, the Prime Minister was also referring to members of ĽSNS who are said to use the greeting 'Na stráž!' (On guard!) at their offices. The same salute was used by Slovak fascists during World War II.
"We have freedom of speech, but it doesn't mean that someone can walk around giving the Nazi salute, celebrating Hitler and similar fascists," said the premier.
During his speech, Parliamentary Chair Andrej Danko stated that the most beautiful sentence of the Uprising was 'Let's begin with eviction'. Danko therefore referred to an order given by General Ján Golian to partisans on August 29, 1944, by which he launched the SNP.
"I want to call on all the people of Banská Bystrica, you, who live here, you should begin with eviction in these elections. I think that the inhabitants of Bystrica could be first to show other regions in danger that they have had enough of these experiences and that they won't allow madmen to control state power," said Danko.
