60,000 People Protest "Slovakia is Europe" in Bratislava

Protests titled "Slovakia is Europe" were organized on Friday (January 24) in dozens of cities across Slovakia and seven locations abroad. Citizens are using mass protests to express their disapproval of the drift away from European values and the visits of the prime minister and coalition MPs to Moscow. After being briefed on a classified report from the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS), the government feared road blockades, the encirclement of government buildings, or conflicts between protesters and police forces.
 
In recent days, Fico accused them, as well as the opposition, of attempting a coup. Opposition politicians responded by stating that Fico is abusing intelligence services and that his verbal attacks are merely an attempt to cover up his inability to address the country's problems.
 
The civic association "Peace for Ukraine" began calling for demonstrations under the banner "Slovakia is Europe" after Fico's December meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country militarily invaded Ukraine almost three years ago.
 
Last week, Fico's party colleague and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Tibor Gašpar (Smer-SD) admitted the possibility of the country leaving the European Union.
 
"We demand that state representatives reject any cooperation with Russia," reiterated the organizers of the protest in Bratislava, one of their four demands so far. They also added a new one—a call for Fico to resign in the interest of Slovakia's future.
 
The protests were also supported by people in Luxembourg, Paris, Berlin, and Prague. When protests ended, people dispersed from the streets peacefully. In Bratislava, approximately 60,000 people gathered, according to media estimates.
 
Source: STVR