Tens of thousands of people have filled streets across Slovakia, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico, citing a policy shift for closer ties with Russia.
Protesters across the country on Friday chanted, “Resign, resign,” “Slovakia is Europe” and “Russian agent” with a crowd of 42,000 to 45,000 people reported in Freedom Square in the capital, Bratislava.
“We stand for democracy and freedom and human rights as perceived by the EU and as enshrined in our constitution. We are here to keep it that way,” 39-year-old protester Barbora Kabinova was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
The weekly protests have come on the heels of a recent trip to Moscow by Fico, one of the few leaders of a European Union (EU) country to visit Russia since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
The protests are the largest to rock Slovakia since the murder of an investigative reporter in 2018 brought tens of thousands of people into the streets, leading to the collapse of the government then, as now, helmed by Fico.
Fico, who survived an attempt on his life in May, has accused the protesters of collaborating with foreigners and Ukraine in an effort to overthrow the government, a claim for which he has provided little evidence.
A 70-year-old protester named Juraj Kadlec pushed back against those accusations, saying the demonstrations were “not a coup at all”.
“I hope that our representatives will figure it out and either change their actions or decide to resign,” he said.
The left-wing nationalist leader has called for an end to Slovakia’s support for Ukraine, criticised EU sanctions targeting Russia and said he would not allow Ukraine to join NATO, the defence alliance which many European states are members of but whose expansion has long been viewed with anger by Russia.
Fico has also been accused of cracking down on civil society groups and support for LGBTQ rights.
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