Hundreds of people hold up lights as they take part in an anti-government protest organized by political activists affiliated with the "Peace for Ukraine" citizens collective (Mier Ukrajine) under the motto 'Slovakia is Europe – enough of Russia' on January 24, 2025, in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Photo by Tomas Benedikovic / AFP)
Bratislava: Tens of thousands of people protested across Slovakia on Friday evening, as anger grows over nationalist Prime Minister Robert Fico's push for closer ties with Russia.
Some 40,000 to 60,000 people took to the streets of the capital, Bratislava, according to organisers, and in 20 other cities across the country, calling for Fico to resign.
The protests have been going on for weeks now, in an increasingly tense political climate, which has prompted Fico to accuse opponents of attempting a "coup d'etat".
A no-confidence motion against the Slovak government was abandoned this week after opposition lawmakers walked out of the parliament session. But the struggle continues on the streets.
The "Peace for Ukraine" citizens collective has called for the rallies in defence of "democracy" and the country's EU membership.
Singer Katarina Malikova, 34, said she had turned out to stop the "disintegration of democracy" in Slovakia and abroad, pointing to the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president.
Fico had an intelligence report drawn up to corroborate his claims that the opposition was plotting a "Maidan", referring to 2014 mass protests in Kyiv that overthrew the pro-Kremlin leader.
He accused the opposition of being ready to "occupy the government in cooperation with foreign countries, in defiance of the results of the elections".
Fico also called a meeting of the National Security Council, where he spoke of a "grave" and "unprecedented" situation.
Hundreds of people hold up lights as they take part in an anti-government protest organized by political activists affiliated with the "Peace for Ukraine" citizens collective (Mier Ukrajine) under the motto 'Slovakia is Europe – enough of Russia' on January 24, 2025, in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Photo by Tomas Benedikovic / AFP)
A 'fabricated story'
"This is a fabricated story," protest organisers said on social media.
They denounced Fico's remarks as an attempt to intimidate them "when our only objective is to peacefully express our disagreement" with the direction he is taking the country.
The real threat, they argued, was "interference by Fico's friend (Vladimir) Putin".
Fico, one of the Kremlin's few allies within the European Union, has drawn Bratislava closer to Moscow since returning to power in 2023.
In December, he travelled to Moscow to meet President Putin, where he criticised Ukraine's decision to turn off the taps that kept Russian gas flowing via its territory to Europe.
Instead of addressing issues at home, "Fico is flying around the world, bowing to dictators and enjoying luxury," said opposition leader Michal Simecka, referring to the premier's recent trips to Russia and Vietnam.
Earlier this month, tens of thousands of people rallied across Slovakia under the motto "Slovakia is not Russia".
With public anger swelling, some have hinted at the possibility of early elections.
According to Pavol Hardos, politics professor at Bratislava's Comenius University, the governing coalition's narrow parliamentary majority is "fragile".
Hardos believes the ruling coalition -- which includes the nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS) and the Hlas Party -- "will likely survive" for now.
'Increasingly authoritarian'
In the event of snap elections, he predicts Slovakia will face "heightened polarisation". Tensions have hit new heights since the assassination attempt on Fico in May 2024.
In an open letter, several hundred psychiatrists and psychologists expressed concern about the current climate, calling on the 60-year-old prime minister to "change his behaviour and consider stepping down".
"Your actions are fostering a negative emotional atmosphere and dividing society," the authors of the letter wrote.
They deplored what they said was the "manipulation of facts", "lies" and repeated "attacks" on the opposition and the media.
They also denounced what they called an increasingly "authoritarian" shift along the lines of neighbouring Hungary under Viktor Orban, as well as a foreign policy that goes "against the values of the EU and NATO".
"Mr Fico is very aggressive and that disturbs me. He has lost all sense and should quit public life," said Jozef Betak, a 49-year-old telecoms specialist, at the protest.
"We can't stay silent, otherwise nothing will change."
In 2018, Fico was forced to resign after the murder of Jan Kuciak, a journalist investigating high-level corruption. The killing sparked the biggest demonstrations since the fall of communism in 1989.
