President: Let's Not Remain Passive and Resigned in Battle against Indecency

        Banska Bystrica, 29 August (TASR) - President Peter Pellegrini, speaking at the celebrations held in Banska Bystrica to mark the 82nd anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) on Saturday, appealed to society not to remain passive and resigned in the battle against indecency, and he also stressed the importance of upholding natural values such as humanity, decency and tolerance.
        Addressing war veterans, he said that when looking at the heroes of the SNP, there are two words that resonate in his mind: gratitude and pride.
        "Gratitude for your sacrifice, our heroes and heroines; and pride, because you wrote the chapters of national resilience and faith at a pivotal time in the fight against fascism. And you contributed significantly to ensuring that we, as a nation, didn't fail during those turbulent times," he said.
        Through their heroism in the trenches and in fighting the occupiers, they created the conditions for another, equally important political struggle, said Pellegrini.
        "A struggle for our statehood. It was during these years that a new, proud historical consciousness of the Slovak nation began to take shape. Let's not forget this, and let's be inspired by it," said Pellegrini, adding that the adoption of the Christmas Agreement in December 1943 was a moral and political example for today's divided society, as completely opposing political forces managed to unite at that time.
        "They united in the name of a higher goal and vision. They united behind the idea of new statehood and they united for their nation," he stressed, highlighting the setting up of the illegal Slovak National Council. Pellegrini also praised the visionary foresight of the political leaders of the SNP.
        He went on to say that all the most significant milestones in modern Slovak history - be they the Slovak national revival [led by one of the most important leaders in Slovak history Ludovit Stur], the SNP or the Prague Spring - ended in military defeat.
        "And yet, their moral messages shaped our values and development as a nation," he said, adding that the SNP is an unquestionable source of Slovak statehood. "We should treat it with the attention and respect it deserves," he urged.
        According to Pellegrini, history often repeats itself in its most brutal form. "Beginning with derogatory graffiti on a wall, dehumanisation and humiliation, and ending with murders, extermination camps and wars. So, our shared message must be as follows: No! Let's not allow this! Let's not remain passive and resigned in the battle against indecency," he stressed, adding that such battles are fought on a daily basis, with the enemy often hiding in the trenches of social media.
        Rather than addressing key questions regarding Slovakia's future, today's public debate resembles a political farce, said Pellegrini. "Instead of the thinkers and strategists of that era, we now see haters, shallow commentators or populists who stand opposed to each other. They have no interest in meaningful planning and in shaping Slovakia's future, but only in attracting the attention of social media for a brief moment or in making it into the evening news," added Pellegrini, who also spoke of a decline in people's sense of loyalty to their own country.