Anti-government protests in Bratislava: roaring crowd shouts “Rúška dole”, a man under the Castle attacked the police with a glass bottle – REFRESHER

Update 18:17 – As the roaring crowd moved from the protest in front of the National Council of the Slovak Republic after the Palisades, one of the protesters attacked the police, after which he threw a glass bottle. The police immediately spacified and detained the man. The crowd became more aggressive after the incident, with people pushing and shouting at the men of the law.

On the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the gentle revolution, several anti-government protests are taking place in Bratislava today. Up to 10 are reported in several parts of the capital and are attended by hundreds to thousands of people. The police are monitoring the situation.

The situation is still calm, with a few exceptions

The Refresher editorial office is also on site. The situation is still calm in most cases. People are chanting that the current government resigns immediately. There is no time for a referendum. The crowd has revived significantly since MP Milan Mazurek (Republic) took the podium, who roared people.

Regional police spokesman Michal Szeiff informed that the afternoon before the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic, a 59-year-old man was transferred to the relevant police department. The reason was allegedly a violation of public order.

“We continue to monitor the situation, in the event of a breach of public order or other illegal activity, the police will use all legal possibilities to remedy and restore public order in accordance with the Police Force Act.” added Szeiff.

Direction laid wreaths at Dubcek’s monument

Shortly in the afternoon, an assembly initiated by the opposition Smer-SD took place in front of the parliament. Representatives of the party laid wreaths at the monument to Alexander Dubcek. Hundreds of people filled the square. However, police did not allow the protesters directly to the parliament building.

“That’s why we came here to pay our respects to the great humanist, Social Democrat Alexander Dubcek,” declared the party’s deputy chairman Juraj Blanár. He added that on November 17 we commemorate the Day of the Struggle for Democracy and Freedom. He pointed to the current situation and criticized the government, which, according to him, forgot about the 100th anniversary of Dubcek’s birth.

Smer-SD leader Robert Fico noted that armed police officers were on the scene. According to his own words, he does not want to blame them for doing their job, but he told the temporarily appointed President of the Police Force, Štefan Hamran, and the Minister of the Interior, Roman Mikulec (OĽANO), that there are decent people on the protest.

He noted that citizens are angry and aggressive. However, he said, it would be enough to take sensible measures to combat the pandemic. He also criticized the government for not solving the increase in prices and the President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Čaputová for failing the referendum. He did not rule out the re-collection of signatures for a referendum for early elections. “Long live Dubcek! Long live Slovakia! For early parliamentary elections! “ ended the speech.

The crowd chants the Ruffle downstairs

The crowd in the square before the meeting chanted various slogans, such as “Rúška dole”, and after Fico’s speech, “Long live Smer”. Some of the protesters remained in the square even after the party leadership left. Members of the Police Force are still ready on the spot. The public was not allowed directly to the parliament building during the event.

The crowd continues to protest at the announced civic general strike on Bratislava’s Župný Square. Several speakers took turns on the stage, criticizing in particular the pandemic measures and the actions of the government or President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Čaputová.

In addition to various personalities, deputies of the National Council of the Slovak Republic working in the Republic movement also performed on Šafárikovo Square. They urged people not to let their current government set up their rights and freedoms. They criticized the coalition representatives and held them responsible for the bad situation in Slovakia. The crowd also consisted of hundreds of people, chanting slogans against the government and measures.