Some 18,000 people have taken to the streets of Slovakia’s capital demanding the resignation of the nationalist culture minister, who has been accused of attacking artistic freedom and undermining democracy.
On Tuesday evening, crowds gathered for the second time this week in Bratislava’s Slovak National Uprising Square.
The rally came after the culture minister, Martina Šimkovičová, recently dismissed Matej Drlička, the director of the Slovak National Theatre, and Alexandra Kusá, the head of the Slovak National Gallery.
Šimkovičová said she had fired the pair for “political activism” and management issues, including an alleged preference for foreign over Slovak opera singers.
Šimkovičová is a member of the Slovak National Party (SNS), which is a junior partner in the country’s ruling coalition.
Drlička told British weekly newspaper The Observer that “the explanations that Martina Šimkovičová listed are a compilation of complete lies… The only reason is that her government doesn’t want culture to be free.”
‘Nationalist agenda’
Albin Sybera from Visegrad Insight, a think tank on central European affairs, told TVP World that Šimkovičová wants “to replace these people with loyalists who are more likely to follow the nationalist agenda that she and her party represents.
“She also wants,” he added, “to normalize her own positions, which are very staunchly conservative, which are targeting sexual minorities.”
In 2015, Šimkovičová was fired from Markíza, a private Slovak TV channel, for allegedly posting hateful content about Syrian refugees on Facebook.
She also worked for an internet TV channel called TV Slovan, known for peddling misinformation about climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Politicized media
According to Sybera, Tuesday’s rally was “a continuation of protests which first started at the end of last year and early this year which were initially aimed at changes in the judiciary and the criminal code.”
In February this year, the Slovak parliament approved reforms scrapping a special prosecution branch dealing with high-level crime and lowering punishments for financial crimes, despite mass protests and warnings from the European Commission.
Slovakia’s pro-Russian prime minister, Robert Fico, took power last October for the fourth time after a stint in opposition, and in May he survived an attempted assassination.
In June, the country’s parliament approved a controversial bill to dissolve public broadcaster RTVS and replace it with a politicized media entity, which has drawn international criticism from journalists and free-speech groups.
“Divisions have been elevated to new heights in Slovakia,” said Sybera, adding that Fico’s cabinet is facing “challenge[s]” to meet “democratic standards.”
Similar cultural and media crackdowns have occurred in recent years in Poland under its previous government, led by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, and in Hungary.
In June this year, the current Polish culture minister, Hanna Wróblewska, replaced the PiS-appointed director of the Ujazdowski modern art museum in Warsaw, causing artistic circles in Poland to breathe a sigh of relief.
The rally came after the culture minister, Martina Šimkovičová, recently dismissed Matej Drlička, the director of the Slovak National Theatre, and Alexandra Kusá, the head of the Slovak National Gallery.
Šimkovičová said she had fired the pair for “political activism” and management issues, including an alleged preference for foreign over Slovak opera singers.
Šimkovičová is a member of the Slovak National Party (SNS), which is a junior partner in the country’s ruling coalition.
Drlička told British weekly newspaper The Observer that “the explanations that Martina Šimkovičová listed are a compilation of complete lies… The only reason is that her government doesn’t want culture to be free.”
‘Nationalist agenda’
Albin Sybera from Visegrad Insight, a think tank on central European affairs, told TVP World that Šimkovičová wants “to replace these people with loyalists who are more likely to follow the nationalist agenda that she and her party represents.
“She also wants,” he added, “to normalize her own positions, which are very staunchly conservative, which are targeting sexual minorities.”
In 2015, Šimkovičová was fired from Markíza, a private Slovak TV channel, for allegedly posting hateful content about Syrian refugees on Facebook.
She also worked for an internet TV channel called TV Slovan, known for peddling misinformation about climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Politicized media
According to Sybera, Tuesday’s rally was “a continuation of protests which first started at the end of last year and early this year which were initially aimed at changes in the judiciary and the criminal code.”
In February this year, the Slovak parliament approved reforms scrapping a special prosecution branch dealing with high-level crime and lowering punishments for financial crimes, despite mass protests and warnings from the European Commission.
Slovakia’s pro-Russian prime minister, Robert Fico, took power last October for the fourth time after a stint in opposition, and in May he survived an attempted assassination.
In June, the country’s parliament approved a controversial bill to dissolve public broadcaster RTVS and replace it with a politicized media entity, which has drawn international criticism from journalists and free-speech groups.
“Divisions have been elevated to new heights in Slovakia,” said Sybera, adding that Fico’s cabinet is facing “challenge[s]” to meet “democratic standards.”
Similar cultural and media crackdowns have occurred in recent years in Poland under its previous government, led by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, and in Hungary.
In June this year, the current Polish culture minister, Hanna Wróblewska, replaced the PiS-appointed director of the Ujazdowski modern art museum in Warsaw, causing artistic circles in Poland to breathe a sigh of relief.
Source: The Guardian, Reuters, Expats.cz, International Press Institute
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