A protest against government actions held in Kosice on Thursday (23 January) saw more than 15 thousand people peacefully marching down the Main street. The organizers presented demands, such as transparent government or refusal to cooperate with Russia. The protest was without incident. According to the organisers, it was also a civic appeal to democratic opposition parties to unite and cooperate. Protesters also addressed security measures.
On Friday, similar rallies will take place in several cities across Slovakia, including Bratislava.
Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has declared that he will not take any action in relation to the constitutional right to assemble and organise protests. However, he warned of the existence of a structure that wants to abuse the rallies to escalate tensions. He also expressed concerns of a possible attempt to organise a coup d'état in Slovakia. The Prime Minister appealed to citizens not to allow themselves to be used by groups to attack the constitutional set-up of the Slovak Republic.
In a video on the social network, Interior Minister and leader of Hlas-SD Matúš Šutaj Eštok informed that the state is ready to provide firm, professional and in accordance with the law security for Slovakia. He assured that the values of freedom and democracy will always be protected. The Interior Minister declared that water cannons will not be used during the protests and violence will not be used against the participants.
Slovak Premier Robert Fico is trying to intimidate the public with claims that a group of experts involved in organising protests on Kyiv’s Maidan Square in late 2013 and early 2014 are now attempting a coup in Slovakia, said Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi at a press conference on Thursday, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported on the same day. "We consider these statements to be an attempt to intimidate Slovak society and consolidate [the coalition's] own electorate - nothing more, nothing less. The same was done by the leadership in Georgia. It's a standard narrative," said the spokesman.
Source: STVR, TASR
