Slovak PM seeks control of 'national identity' issues in potential clash with EU law
June 10 (Reuters) - Slovak leader Robert Fico is seeking to change the country's constitution and install what he calls "a dam against progressivism" by declaring that Slovakia has legal precedence on "national identity" issues, such as family and gender.
Critics of populist Prime Minister Fico, including some legal experts, fear the amendment will threaten Slovakia's commitments to European Union laws and international treaties.
Fico has taken an increasingly anti-liberal stance in rights issues, building on his pro-Russian and pro-Hungarian international policy position. He has promoted closer relations with Russia and China and criticised sanctions on Moscow and the EU's military aid for Ukraine.
The amendment states that only male and female will be recognised as genders, and that school curriculums must respect the constitution, including its cultural and ethical positions. It will also tighten adoption rules.
"The Slovak Republic maintains sovereignty above all in issues of national identity," the amendments say, in particular on cultural and ethical issues.
A report accompanying the bill states it is fully in line with EU law, including the issues of precedence of European law.
Some opposition lawmakers however, as well as a group of lawyers including five former judges of the constitutional court, warn it could have far-reaching consequences.
"The proposed amendment is contradictory to the commitments resulting from European Union law and international law and creates a legal basis to diverge from values of the European Union and the Council of Europe," the group said.
"The amendment would weaken or even preclude enforcement of international law and European Union law in Slovakia," it said, adding that it included vague language, creating legal uncertainty and room for extensive interpretation.
Fico's fractious leftist and nationalist coalition has a thin majority dependent on independents, but the amendment has won backing from the opposition conservative Christian Democrats as well as two members of the opposition Slovensko party.
This may be enough for the amendment to reach the required 90 votes in the 150-seat parliament when it comes before lawmakers in the next days.
"This is not a defence of identity or sovereignty, this is a conscious and deceitful act aimed at severing Slovakia from the system and structure of international protection of human rights," Amnesty International said in a statement.
"The proposal threatens all people in Slovakia, but above all the most vulnerable - children, women, the poor, who are exposed to discrimination or inequality based on age or gender identity."
Fico's government has accused liberal protesters of planning a coup, changed laws to tighten rules for non-governmental organisations, increased control over public broadcasters, and attacked independent media as foreign agents.
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Reuters
41 minutes ago
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There are indications Israel breached EU agreement, bloc's foreign policy arm says
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The Guardian
an hour ago
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EU cites ‘indications' Israel is breaching human rights obligations over conduct in Gaza
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Telegraph
an hour ago
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How JK Rowling became a lightning rod for attacks by pro-trans activists
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I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020 Still, it wasn't entirely clear what was motivating her involvement until she published a lengthy and thoughtful essay on her website that same month. Rowling wrote that her interest in this subject actually went back two years: she had been closely following the debate, and reading books and articles by trans people, gender specialists, psychologists, doctors and more. Rowling explained that she also had a very personal interest. She revealed that she was a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor, and that was part of her concern around the erosion of protected single-sex spaces. Rowling's remarkable candour is part of what makes her such an effective advocate, says her friend, fellow campaigner and Telegraph columnist Suzanne Moore. 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Mandy Rhodes, editor of Holyrood magazine and a long-time campaigner for women's rights in Scotland, admits she was initially sceptical about Rowling's involvement. 'I did have that moment of thinking 'Oh, it's someone very famous jumping on the bandwagon'. But within days I understood how committed she was.' Crucially, argues Moore, Rowling 'didn't come into this for her own ego'. Nor was it a fashionable position to take; quite the opposite. 'She could have just sat back and enjoyed her massive success,' says Moore. 'She chose to take a stand. You see all these men like Stephen Fry or Boy George coming at her and they end up looking absolutely stupid. She's what everybody fears: a woman who doesn't give a f---. She doesn't need to be liked – she's already loved. She's a rock star.' Rhodes explains: 'Many of us who put our heads above the parapet were then in the position of trying to save our jobs or keep our sanity because of the criticism being levelled at us. Jo was in a more powerful position and she used it. That really elevated everything.' In 2022, Rowling took action by funding a women-only support centre, Beira's Place in Edinburgh, for victims of sexual violence. 'There was no such single-sex service before,' she said in an interview. 'I know that was well worth doing because of the number of women who are coming through our doors.' Over three years she has donated £1 million to fund running costs, including a staff of nine counselling support workers who have provided more than 6,000 hours of support to 700 women and girls.' Moore visited the centre with Rowling and was struck by how 'Jo sat back and listened to the experienced staff explaining why this was important. That said a lot to me.' Rowling has also regularly challenged controversial legislation in Scotland. In 2022 she condemned a bill that would make it easier for trans people to legally change gender, and in 2024 she criticised a new hate crime act by posting her views on X and challenging Scottish police to arrest her. 'As a writer, she passionately believes in free speech,' says Moore. 'That's something that her critics don't necessarily understand about the arguments she's making.' That same year, Rowling leapt to the defence of resigning Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who had previously been criticised by Keir Starmer for saying that only women have a cervix. The author wrote on X that Duffield 'was one of the few female Labour politicians with the guts to stand up for vulnerable women and girls.' Rosie Duffield was one of the few female Labour politicians with the guts to stand up for vulnerable women and girls, while self-satisfied numbskulls like you fought to give away their rights and spaces. TL;DR Keep her name out of your mouth. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 28, 2024 Rowling has also weighed in on women's sport. In 2024 she posted a photograph of Olympic Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, saying that it showed a man 'enjoying the distress of a woman he's just punched in the head'. Rosie Duffield was one of the few female Labour politicians with the guts to stand up for vulnerable women and girls, while self-satisfied numbskulls like you fought to give away their rights and spaces. TL;DR Keep her name out of your mouth. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 28, 2024 Moore says that while many women share such concerns, voicing them puts you in a very lonely position. Even Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, who owe their fame to Rowling's Harry Potter movie franchise, have publicly disagreed with her on trans issues, as has Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne. 'People are hurling abuse at you constantly,' adds Moore. 'This issue came to a head during lockdown, when you felt really isolated. Jo is absolutely the person you want beside you in the trenches: her personal courage, her cleverness and her funniness keep you going.' They were both highly amused, says Moore, when a lunch that Rowling organised for campaigners (including Forstater, Prof Kathleen Stock and Julie Bindel) at the River Café in west London in April 2022 became the focus of rabid attention. 'Women have pasta and wine and suddenly it's a national news story! Actually what she's done is bring people together from across the political spectrum and foster real camaraderie.' Rhodes was delighted to meet Rowling at the Edinburgh launch, in 2024, for the book of essays The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht (Rowling contributed a piece). 'At first I didn't recognise her – she hadn't made an effort to stand out,' says Rhodes. 'I tapped her on the shoulder and said, 'Hi, I'm Mandy', and she immediately said, 'It's so amazing to meet you', and was actually quite deferential to me, which was very kind. I don't think you can exaggerate how horrible and painful it felt being in Scotland at the forefront of all this. It meant a lot to all of us that she was there.' It also helps to have a globally best-selling author articulating your message. Reflecting on Rowling's 2020 personal essay, Rhodes says: 'What she wrote was so simple, so easily understood, it cut through all the nonsense.' Moore thinks that the relentless criticism does sometimes get to Rowling, 'but she jokes to us about it and she stays amazingly calm online. There's all sorts of stuff she could say to someone like Stephen and she doesn't. It's a relief seeing 'there's a woman who cannot be put in her place'. She's inspirational. I'm confident we can keep fighting back, as long as we have people like Jo fighting with us.'
