A year after the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico, tensions over hate speech and freedom of expression are rising in Slovakia. Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok announced plans to introduce a law targeting online hate, aiming to protect victims of cyberbullying and make it easier to remove harmful content. The legislation will be inspired by German law.
At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kaliňák called for clearer definitions of what constitutes hate speech and suggested expanding regulations beyond the already implemented “Lex atentát,” which restricts protests near sensitive locations. He argued that current laws have already improved public safety during demonstrations. However, opposition figures disagreed, warning that harsher penalties won’t eliminate hate from society. According to the opposition, true change must come from shifting political discourse and behavior, not from limiting civil liberties. He also criticized what he sees as growing censorship under the guise of public safety.
Source: STVR
