Protesters in Slovakia condemn Prime Minister Fico's visit to Moscow
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Protesters gathered Friday in the Slovak capital to demonstrate against populist Prime Minister Robert Fico's latest trip to Russia.
Fico was the only leader of a European Union country to travel to Moscow for festivities marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Chanting slogans like 'We've had enough of Fico,' 'Slovakia is Europe,' and 'Stay there,' protesters filled Freedom Square.
Organizers said that Fico 'doesn't represent the whole Slovakia.'
'It's a shame for Slovakia,' and 'one of the worst moments for the Slovak foreign policy,' Michal Šimečka, the leader of the major opposition and pro-Western Progressive Slovakia party, said about the trip.
The Kremlin has used the annual 'Victory Day' celebrations to tout its battlefield prowess. On Friday, President Vladimir Putin praised Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, saying that 'we are proud of their courage and determination, their spiritual force that always has brought us victory.'
Fico said in a video message his goal was to establish 'normal, friendly cooperation,' with Russia.
The rallies in Bratislava and some other towns and cities across Slovakia were the latest in a wave of protests fueled by Fico's recent trip to Moscow for talks with Putin over gas deliveries in December.
Fico, who is a divisive figure at home and abroad, returned to power in 2003 after his leftist Smer (Direction) party won a parliamentary election on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform.
Known for his pro-Russian views, he has openly challenged the European Union's policies over Ukraine.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Attorney Arrested After Opposing Trans Treatments for Kids Speaks Out
The Supreme Court's decision to affirm Tennessee's ban on so called 'Gender Affirming Care' was a victory for people like activist/attorney Lois McLatchie Miller. On June 6, police in Brussels, Belgium arrested her and child protection advocate Chris Elston (aka 'Billboard Chris') for peacefully displaying signs promoting the protection of children against transgender medical treatments. Their signs read 'Children are never born in the wrong body' and 'Children cannot consent to puberty blockers.' The pair went to the EU capital to engage members of the European Parliament about the dangers of puberty blockers for children. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Miller, an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom International, reacts to the Justices' decision, and also talks about her experiences being arrested for standing up for her deeply held beliefs that 'children are made in the image of God, and they are made as beings that should be loved and cherished.' Miller shares how instead of addressing the mob threatening them, the police arrested the two holding signs. She says it's a blatant example of how deep Western culture has aligned itself with the transgender movement and pushes back aggressively against any who challenge its orthodoxy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
UK Says It's Not Involved in US Strikes on Iran, Urges Talks
The UK and its military assets weren't involved in US strikes on Iran's main nuclear sites and is calling for a diplomatic solution to the crisis. While Britain wasn't directly involved, Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday offered tacit backing to President Donald Trump's action, saying Iran's nuclear program is a 'a grave threat to international security.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Panama cuts internet, cell phones in restive province
Panamanian authorities on Saturday partially suspended internet and mobile phone service in a western province where a state of emergency was in effect after two months of anti-government unrest. Right-wing President Jose Raul Mulino declared the emergency on Friday, suspending freedom of assembly and movement in Bocas del Toro province, where protesters have set up roadblocks and damaged the airport, businesses and offices. The National Authority for Public Services said on X that based on the emergency decree, "the temporary suspension of mobile phone and residential internet service has been coordinated in the province of Bocas del Toro until June 25." Internet service would remain available for health care, businesses and government entities, the agency said. Anti-government protests began almost two months ago in the major banana-producing region of Bocas del Toro. They turned violent Thursday in the city of Changuinola when groups of hooded individuals looted businesses and partially set fire to a baseball stadium with police officers inside, authorities said. The unrest has seen one dead, more than 100 arrested, and dozens injured, including 13 police officers, according to authorities. Mulino has been facing protests on several fronts in recent months. Workers with US banana giant Chiquita in Bocas del Toro went on strike in late April over pension reforms adopted by Congress, which critics say will force them to work longer. Chiquita sacked thousands of workers over the strike. The banana growers' unions called off their protest last week in a bid to reverse the layoffs but other groups have remained at the barricades. Besides the pension reforms, Panamanians have also been in the streets over a deal Mulino struck with US President Donald Trump in April allowing US troops to deploy to Panamanian bases along the Panama Canal. The US Embassy in Panama issued a security alert Friday prohibiting American government staffers from traveling to Bocas del Toro "until further notice." cmm/mis/dg/cls/dth/acb/bjt
