Protests against Prime Minister Fico took place in Slovakia

On Friday evening, January 24, protests were held in cities across Slovakia against the policies of the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, according to the Ta3 TV channel and the Aktuality publication.

The rallies were organized by the civic association "Peace to Ukraine", which criticizes the actions of the Fico (for example, at the end of December 2024, it appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office of Slovakia to check the actions of the Prime minister after his trip to Moscow and meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin) and opposition parties. According to the organizers, about 60 thousand people took to the streets of Bratislava, and in total more than thirty cities — up to 100 thousand. The action in the capital has become the largest since the early 1990s, they said.

"We ask the representatives of the state to refuse any cooperation with Russia," Ta3 quotes one of the demands of the organizers.

They also called on Fico to resign "for the sake of Slovakia's future."

The rallies were peaceful, there were no clashes with the police. The next demonstration in Bratislava is scheduled for February 7.

The day before, Fico convened a meeting of the Security Council, stating that there was a "group of experts" from abroad in the republic, which was preparing to overthrow the government. According to the Prime Minister, this group "actively participated in the events" in Georgia and Ukraine. Maidan. The politician accused opposition groups of seeking to intensify protests and "create chaos," including by seizing government buildings.

The main opposition party Progressive Slovakia called the accusations nonsense.

"It is unacceptable that the authorities spread panic and fear. There is no threat of a coup... and everyone knows it. Fico needs all this to distract attention from his failures," said the leader of the political force, Michal Szymecka.