More anti-vaccination protests take place in Bratislava

Following last week's protests that turned into public disturbances, another protest has been taking place in the centre of Bratislava on Thursday. This time outside both the Presidential Palace and the Government Office. The disgruntled crowd is voicing its discontent with vaccination against COVID-19, testing for the disease, anti-pandemic measures, the Government, Parliament and the president. Concerning the criticism that they did not react to last week's disturbances properly, when a small crowd of protesters blocked the traffic in Bratislava's city centre, the police have claimed that they have prepared security measures. The police riot unit monitoring the protest has taken action against protesters who were blocking an adjacent road, pushing them back onto the square in an effort to prevent them from causing any further disruption. Nevertheless, traffic jams have started to form at several points in the centre of the capital. In reaction to the next round of protests, the mayor of Bratislava Matúš Vallo sees a fundamental difference between expressing one's opinion and exposing people living in Bratislava to risk, given the situation concerning the epidemic.