The streets of Bratislava turned into a sea of dissent on Friday as tens of thousands rallied in Freedom Square against Prime Minister Robert Fico’s pro-Russian and anti-Western stance.
The protest was orchestrated by the civic group Mier Ukrajine (Peace for Ukraine) to rally against Fico’s policies, particularly his perceived pro-Russian leanings.
Organisers pegged the crowd at around 60,000 – a quadruple attendance compared to the last demonstration two weeks ago, according to Reuters.
The anti-government sentiment wasn’t confined to the capital as similar protests popped up in 20 other cities across Slovakia, with news website Dennik N estimating at least 100,000 participants.
Popular uproar against Slovakia’s left-wing populist prime minister heightened after Fico’s undisclosed trip to Moscow to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin in December. Critics have interpreted the trip as a shift away from EU and NATO alignment towards a pro-Russian stance, particularly as it came after Slovakia was forced to find new gas supply routes following Ukraine’s refusal to extend transit agreements with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to Friday’s demonstrations with a supportive statement on X, writing in Slovak: “Bratislava is not Moscow. Slovakia is Europe,” and echoing protesters’ calls for a stop to Russian influence.
Earlier this week, Fico accused political opponents of trying to sow chaos, warning that protestors might organise a “Maidan”-style revolution – in reference to the wave of civil unrest that occurred in 2013 in Ukraine – occupy government buildings, call a national strike, or confront security forces.
Our reporters on the ground were able to confirm, however, that the demonstrations were peaceful and calm, both on the part of the demonstrators and the police, which the organisers thanked for its cooperation.
On Tuesday, opposition parties sought a no-confidence vote against Fico’s government, although they later withdrew the motion, stating they would soon table a new request. The Slovak prime minister has so far looked set to survive a possible vote as he maintains a thin majority, Reuters reported.
Pressure is now mounting on Fico, as the current demonstrations will no doubt remind him of the events of 2018 when mass protests following the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová ultimately forced him to resign as prime minister.
Natalia Silenská and Zuzana Gabrizová contributed to reporting.
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Publish date : 2025-01-26 22:29:00
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