The march titled We don’t want the 90s back, dedicated to murdered journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová, will be held on March 2, starting at 17:00.
People are invited to the Hviezdoslavovo Square from which they will move to the Freedom Square. The speeches of several people are planned to be held between 18:00 and 18:45.
“Let’s march to remember young investigative journalist Ján Kuciak who was murdered during the weekend with his girlfriend Martina Kušnírová,” the organisers said, as quoted by the SITA newswire.
They called for immediate investigation of their murder as well as the scandals surrounding murky practices of businessmen Marián Kočner and Ladislav Bašternák.
“Janko was writing about both, and Kočner even threatened him,” the organisers claimed, adding that Kuciak even submitted a criminal complaint against Kočner last September.
However, no police officer was assigned to the case 44 days after it was submitted, they added.
No political involvement
The main organisers of the march are Peter Nagy, project manager of the Petit Press publishing house, and his wife.
“We don’t cooperate with any politicians or political parties,” they said, as quoted by SITA.
The only ones helping them are student organisations.
The fact that the investigative journalist and his fiancée were murdered is something that forces them to speak up.
“We cannot be silent as citizens, journalists, people active in the third sector, people who love Slovakia and believe that Slovakia can become a good, honest country where similar things don’t happen again,” the organisers wrote on Facebook.
They are currently expecting their first child and don’t want their baby to be born into society where people are afraid to speak and journalists to write.
“We want our child to be raised during a time that does not bear a resemblance to the 90s,” the organisers wrote. “We want our child to be brought up in the country that will protect the values of democracy.”
Other marches planned
There will also be events organised in other Slovak towns and abroad on March 2.
Slovakia:
- Banská Bystrica, SNP Square at 17:00
- Košice, near the State Scientific Library at 17:00
- Prešov, near John Paul II statue close to the St Nicholaus Cathedral, at 17:00
- Martin, SNP Square at 17:00
- Trenčín, near the Plague Column at 17:00
- Pezinok, Radničné Square at 17:00
- Púchov, near Podivný Barón café at 17:00
- Spišská Nová Ves, at 17:00
- Poprad, St Egidius Square at 20:00
- Skalica, Námestie Slobody square at 17:00
- Dolný Kubín, Pamätník Oslobodenia memorial at17:00
- Považská Bystrica, Cooltajner Odborov 245 at 17:30
- Topoľčany, Námestie M. R. Śtefánika square at 17:00
- Michalovce, Námestie Osloboditeľov square at 17:00
- Liptovský Mikuláš, at Námestie Osloboditeľov square at 18:00
- Prievidza, at Námestie Slobody square at 17:00
Abroad:
- Prague, on Pelléova Street at 17:00
- Brno, Komenského Náměstí square at 17:00
- Ostrava, Masarykovo Náměstí square at 17:00
- Jablonec nad Nisou, at 17:00
- Liberec, Dr Beneše Square at 17:00
- London, near the Slovak Embassy building at 19:00
- Aberdeen, at 17:30
- Glasgow, Kelvingrove Park at 17:30
- Edinburgh, Bristo Square,at 17:30
- Haag, near the Slovak Embassy building at 19:00
- Paris, near the Slovak Embassy building at 19:00
- Stockholm, Arsenalsgatan 2/3 TR at 17:00
- Brussels, at 18:00
- Berlin, at 17:00
- Bern, at 18:00
- Zürich, Stadthausanlage at 17:00
- Madrid, at 17:00
- Luxembourg, at 17:30
- Vancouver, Robson Square at 18:30
- Beijing, at 19:00
- Hong Kong, IFC Mall Roof Top Garden at 19:00
- Dubai, Al Sufouh Park at 17:00
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