Fico: Fascism is Not Creeping in Slovakia, It Is Present Here

Klak/Ostry Grun, January 22 (TASR) – During Sunday’s commemorative gathering to mark the 72nd anniversary of the burning down of the villages of Klak and Ostry Grun (both Banska Bystrica region), Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) offered harsh words not only to the residents of these villages in the Zarnovica district, but also to citizens of the entire Banska Bystrica region.

“Don’t take it as a reproach, but I don’t get it how the man and the party openly avowing fascism could have gained such support in the general elections in the villages where murders and atrocities committed by fascism were so evident. In one village it gained 17 percent and almost six percent in the other one,” stated Fico, alluding to the results of last year’s general elections made by far-right [Marian] Kotleba-People’s Party Our Slovakia (LSNS) in the villages of Klak and Ostry Grun.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to speak openly about these things. “Some people say that fascism is creeping here in Slovakia. It’s not creeping here, it’s present here. We have it represented in Parliament and it’s enough to look at statements by these people. It’s walking on trains in green T-shirts, talking about a kind of order while only spreading an ideology in the name of that for which it was murdering here on January 21, 1945,” stressed Fico.
Fico stated that it’s enough just to check social networks where you can find calls for hangings and shootings, where lists of betrayers are displayed showing who need to be killed off in Slovakia.

Fico stressed the need to build a big dam against it and to unite each other regardless of whether someone is right or left-wing, similar to the Slovak National Uprising, which is a jewel in the treasury of Slovak history. People can already do so in the regional elections being held this autumn, added Fico.

“We need to halt this experiment, since it has brought nothing but doubts to the Banska Bystrica region,” stated the prime minister. Each political party and every politician are replaceable; however, the question is whether they should be replaced by a standard, democratic and value-oriented party or by “something that questions events that Slovakia and the Slovak nation have been based on”, said Fico.