Gajdos: Displays of Fascism Seeds of Evil Waiting for Next Human Error

Bratislava, November 11 (TASR) – People are able to forget the horrors of war quickly and haven’t learned from them; otherwise our soldiers wouldn’t have to leave their families in order to contribute to global security, stated Defence Minister Peter Gajdos (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Petrzalka-Kopcany Military Cemetery in Bratislava on Friday to honour soldiers killed in the First World War (1914-18).

“It’s terrifying how much scope evil in various forms of racism, xenophobia, terrorism, extremism and manifestations of fascism has in our society. It’s as if these seeds of hatred were waiting for our next human error in order to re-emerge in full force. Let’s not let it happen,” said Gajdos.

“I’m glad that people of my generation no longer have to be veterans of a major war,” said parliamentary defence and security committee chairman Anton Hrnko (SNS), who also attended the ceremony. Hrnko said that his grandparents took part in the First World War, while his father and godfather were veterans of WWII. According to him, politicians should build and maintain peace in the world, as it’s the only way for society to flourish.

Representatives of various civil organisations, diplomats and students took part in the commemoration ceremony at the cemetery earlier in the day.

A total of 331 soldiers of various nationalities are buried at the cemetery, which was created in 1916 next to a military hospital for heavily wounded soldiers serving the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Veterans Day is commemorated annually on November 11, as it was on this day in 1918 that the armistice that ended the First World War was signed in the French town of Compiegne.