Government Office: Fico Has Always Honoured Public Gatherings

Bratislava, June 5 (TASR) – Prime Minister Robert Fico has always honoured public gatherings called pursuant to the law and the free expression of views, said the Government Office in response to the anti-corruption march held in Bratislava on Monday afternoon.

The premier welcomes the fact that young people are drawn to societal issues. “What matters is to make sure that these kinds of events are decent and aren’t used to score political points,” said the Government Office.

The second march builds on the first iteration of April 18, when several thousand people took to the streets of Bratislava to express their dissatisfaction with what they see as a parade of corruption scandals that leaves the perpetrators unscathed.

At a press conference on Sunday the march’s organisers said that the second great anti-corruption march will have no political undercurrent and that no speeches will be delivered by politicians.

In addition to the rally in Bratislava, parallel marches are being held in Kosice and in Prague at 5 p.m.

“We’d like to clean up the supervisory mechanisms of the state,” said David Straka about the reason behind the event. Furthermore, the goal is to make state institutions such as the prosecutor’s office, police and courts, under which the fight against corruption falls, operate in line with the law. “We want to stop politicians from entering politics to get rich or to steal, and to do something for this state instead for once. That’s our motivation – to give a chance to this state finally to better itself.”