Good evening. Here is the Monday, July 21 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in a few minutes.
LGBT+ march sends message of resilience and support
The Rainbow Pride March on Saturday, July 19. (source: TASR)
Despite losing nearly half of its funding—from €90,000 last year to €55,000 this year—due to the Culture Ministry cutting support for LGBT+ organisations, this year’s Bratislava Rainbow Pride attracted a record number of attendees.
According to Peter Weisenbacher, chair of the Human Rights Institute and co-founder of Rainbow Pride, 16,583 people joined the march through the Slovak capital. The daily Denník N, citing expert analysis, reported a slightly lower estimate of 14,000 participants. Either way, it marks a significant increase from last year’s estimated turnout of 10,000.
The event began at midday and featured speeches, concerts, and performances. The headline act was singer Adam Pavlovčin, also known as Adonxs, who took part in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest representing Czechia.
Bratislava Region Governor Juraj Droba voiced his support for the LGBT+ community, as did Bratislava Mayor Matúš Vallo. The latter urged people not to be discouraged by politicians using LGBT+ individuals to gain political advantage.
“Too many people in Slovakia suffer simply because someone turns them into an agenda,” he said, naming Hungarians, Roma, artists, and even the European Union—alongside LGBT+ people—as frequent targets. “They are selling you, us, everyone, just for their power. Let’s not forget that,” he added.
At 14:00, a nearly two-hour-long march began through the wider city centre. Marchers chanted pro-LGBT+ slogans and waved at supporters watching from windows. The route included a stop at the former Tepláreň bar, where Matúš Horváth and Juraj Vakulič were murdered in a terrorist attack in 2022. There, the crowd chanted, “We will never forget, never forgive.” As they passed the European Commission Representation in Slovakia in the Palisády area, they also shouted, “We are Europe.”
This year’s Pride theme was “the culture of freedom,” symbolising a space where everyone has the right to create, express, and love freely. The event took place against the backdrop of a postponed constitutional amendment that, if passed, could significantly weaken LGBT+ rights and potentially infringe on the rights of the general population as well. The amendment was proposed by the governing Smer party and supported by the opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH). Last year, coalition party SNS displayed billboards boasting about halting funding for LGBT+ projects.
Workplace relations: A recent survey revealed that three-quarters of Slovaks say they do not know any openly LGBT+ colleagues. The survey also explored political affiliations. Among voters of the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS), 36 percent said they have an LGBT+ colleague. This figure was 33 percent for SNS voters, despite the party’s strong anti-LGBT+ stance. In contrast, only 17 percent of Smer voters and 16 percent of far-right Republika supporters reported the same. When asked about LGBT+ presence in the workplace, in general more than 53 percent of respondents were accepting or supportive. Positive attitudes were most common among PS voters (84 percent), SaS (79 percent), and Demokrati (74 percent). The survey was conducted by the Ipsos agency for the Central European Digital Media Observatory, based on a sample of 1,526 people between June 2 and 20. (Denník N)
Voice of support: In support of Bratislava Pride, 37 diplomatic missions and several other organisations and officials signed a joint statement affirming their solidarity with Slovakia’s LGBT+ community. The message read: “We see you. We stand with you.” (SITA)
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FEATURE STORY
Closer than you might think
Banská Bystrica (above), Charleston (below) (source: Wikimedia/Flickr)
Separated by the Atlantic Ocean and some 7,500 kilometres, Charleston, West Virginia, and Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, might not seem like obvious partners. Yet ties between the two cities date back to Slovakia’s early years of independence in the 1990s. In recent weeks, they have seen renewed exchanges of people and ideas.
EVENT FOR THIS WEEK
Mixing dance, music and lifestyle
Participants of a previous edition of the Legit Blast Festival in Banská Bystrica. (source: TASR)
Banská Bystrica is hosting the 16th edition of the Legits Blast Festival, a celebration of hip-hop culture. Artists, dancers and musicians from over 90 countries have arrived in the central Slovak town to compete in battles, offer workshops, and perform in concerts and other events. Find out more here.
IN OTHER NEWS
While the Rainbow Pride march was taking place in Bratislava, a parallel event called ‘Proud of the Family’ also took place in the city centre. Focused on the theme “Matrimony Protects Children,” the event included a mass and a discussion on family values and their place in legislation. According to the Human Rights Institute, attendance was estimated at 600 to 800 people. (TASR, SITA)
Slovakia achieved its best-ever result at the 2025 European Men’s Lacrosse Championship in Poland, finishing 11th out of 24 teams. With a 5–3 record, the team notched victories against Greece, Denmark, Sweden, Poland and Switzerland. Several team members with Slovak heritage came from the US and Canada. (World Lacrosse, Facebook)
Forty participants of the pilot training programme for the National Defence Forces (NOS)—including President Peter Pellegrini and Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer, in the picture in the centre)—took a ceremonial military oath on Sunday at the General M. R. Štefánik’s Mound on Bradlo Hill. (source: TASR)
The coalition SNS party has proposed halving President Peter Pellegrini’s salary, from €18,000 to €9,000 per month. The party argues the move would ensure fairness among top constitutional officials, claiming the Prime Minister should have the highest salary. The opposition Slovensko movement (formerly OĽaNO) expressed support and called on other opposition parties to do the same. In response, the Presidential Office declined to comment on SNS chair Andrej Danko’s actions, instead urging him to focus on real issues affecting ordinary people. SNS has recently criticised Pellegrini, most notably over his participation in the pilot phase of Slovakia’s new National Defence Forces) training programme. (TASR)
In December, the daily Sme reported that Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (a nominee of SNS) may have bypassed legal procedures in the appointment of a new Monument Office director. The ministry has now released meeting records from the Monument Board, which confirm that the candidate was not properly discussed in accordance with the law. Nevertheless, back then Šimkovičová dismissed former director Pavel Ižvolt and appointed Mário Comisso, an archaeologist with a disputed reputation among his peers. (SME)
The non-parliamentary Hungarian Alliance has criticised a proposed amendment to the Political Parties Act, warning it could harm fair political competition. The party opposes cuts to state funding during economic downturns, arguing such measures could push smaller parties into dependence on oligarchs. It also criticised the proposal to raise the threshold for refunding electoral deposits from 2 to 5 percent, calling it potentially “fatal” for smaller parties. (TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Occasional showers or thunderstorms are expected overnight. During the day, the weather will be partly to mostly cloudy, with temperatures reaching up to 31°C. (SHMÚ)
JULY 22 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Magdaléna
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