Thousands against the Russian law marched Bratislava
The protests of Slovakia continued.
In Bratislava a protest march was held against the law against NGOs. Source: SME/David Zimmermann
BRATISLAVA. After a series of protests held throughout the country at two -week intervals since January under the auspices of Slovakia, Europe has been, the Bratislava protest gathering has begun to march.
On the route from the Freedom Square, which is the venue of these protests in the capital, around nine thousand people marched with a loud scream and trumpet before Parliament. There they welcomed them with music by DJ Young Aesthete, and Kryl’s song was also heard, the brother.
On Thursday, it protested in Bratislava, Košice, Humenné, Liptovský Mikuláš, Stropkov and the Assembly was also organized by the Slovak community in Brussels. In Košice, there were estimated two thousand people in the protest, and in other cities the participation counted in hundreds. The protests continue on Friday, and more than 40 cities in Slovakia and abroad are involved.
This time, the slogan « not Russian law » is carried by protest gatherings. The main organizer of the protests, the Mier initiative Ukrainetogether with cooperating civil initiatives and activists across the country, respond to the proposal that coalition deputies want to introduce selected NGOs as lobbyists.
The law is also angry with the participants of the Bratislava protest march, sister Elizabeth and Emilia Ruthenian. It proves to them that the government wants to collect data about people who support NGOs.
« We support NGOs and do not understand why they want to collect this data. We have the right to support who we want, they have no right to follow it, » they add. They already know that they will come again again.
Slovakia needs European laws, not Russian
The proposal originally counted with the labeling of NGOs as foreign agents as it is in Russia. This provision has fallen out of the proposal, but it is still referred to as the Russian law by which the government wants to punish active citizens.
For example, they point to the possibility of state authorities to abolish the civic association for administrative errors, the mandatory disclosure of the names of donors, or the intention to refer to non -governmental nights as lobbyists and to impose bureaucratic obligations on them.
The government has also adopted the proposal this week Robert Ficowhen she had consent to him at Wednesday’s meeting.
Direction and others confirm the pressure on NGOs. Fico claims that the government office is not dementi Read
The coalition party is still announcing adjustments in the bill, but it is not yet clear what they should be. Parliament is to discuss the proposal next week on Wednesday.
The organizers also called it an attack on the values and attacks « on our freedom, our ability to express and influence decision -making in our society in the Bratislava protest. »
« Slovakia needs European laws, not Russian, » the organizers from the Parliament from Peace of Ukraine said from the stage. They also demand the resignation of Robert Fico’s government.
Bútora: They go against November 89
Writer and sociologist Martin Bútora in Bratislava commemorated November 1989when citizens wanted to take their affairs into their own hands. At the beginning of the 1990s, several thousand civic associations and nonprofits have been operating in Slovakia.
Bútora said that we are witnessing the « counter -revolution against November 89 ».
« Enough was Fico! » The crowd replied.
Bútora also mentioned Meciarism and a brite against NGOs in the 1990s. But even Meciar did not dare to pass « such a terrible law as the one who is just about to, » he said.
He described the identification of the names of donors and members of NGOs as problematic, fearing that the state authorities will use it to complicate life for active citizens.
Activist: We are not a threat, we are the backbone
Zuzana Janíčková from the Banská Bystrica Initiative not in our town quoted Czechoslovakia President TG Masaryk, who said that the real democracy is not enough for the institution, she needs people associated with an idea. « That’s why we’re here, » the activist said.
Parliament will decide next week whether Slovakia will move away from European values to Russian. MEPs and MEPs will vote on the law, which has the greatest threat to civil freedoms since 1989, she stressed.
« The Prime Minister, we are not here because of the coup, we are here because we care for freedom and democracy, » Janickova said. « We are here because we are not a threat to Slovakia, but we are his blood circulation and back bone. »
Janíčková called on the parliamentarians and parliamentarians to express clear and clear not to the law that attacks the basics of democracy in the country.
Lawyer: They don’t care about transparency
« One would think that if they secure impunity and generous annuities, it will be enough. But it is not enough for them, » said the crowd in front of the Bratislava parliament about government politicians lawyer Eva Kovácechová from the NGO Via Iuris.
According to her, they want to harm, dissolve the law, « or at least properly punish » NGOs.
« In their design, it is spying and pointing active organizations, » Kováčechová said.
Government politicians are not transparency, because if so, we would have long known who finances the elections and where they have villas and cottages, she added.
« The idea of this government is that people will go to vote every four years and then only rub their feet at home. But in a free democratic state they freely express their opinion, freely protest, march, » said Kováčeh. Let’s not let the government attack NGOs, she called on people.
« We will not give freedom, » the crowd replied.
The protests will continue on Thursday after Easter.
Beata
Balogová
Editor -in -chief
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