Good evening. Here is theThursday, July 4 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
The next edition of Today in Slovakia will be published next Monday, July 8, as July 5 is a public holiday.
Culture minister sparks another controversy
Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová. (source: TASR)
The Human Rights Institute, a non-governmental organisation, has lodged a criminal complaint against Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (SNS nom.) over allegations of racism and anti-Semitism.
In a Wednesday interview, the minister spoke about how heterosexual people create the future because they create children. She went on to blame queer people for the decline of Europe. “No new children are being born because there is an oversaturation of LGBTI,” the minister said. “And it’s strange that this is happening to the white race.” Šimkovičová, who had been a popular TV presenter before she was fired for her homophobic and anti-immigrant comments and launched a disinformation-spreading online television channel, also claimed that gay marriage is a step towards same-sex adoption.
“We are living in an amoral era,” Šimkovičová continued, claiming that nobody is going to take away rights from queer people. The LGBT+ community has no rights in Slovakia. In another interview from this week, the minister accused queer people of being “homophobic” and refusing to accept that heterosexual people also exist. She added, “We are a sick society.”
The NGO described the minister’s comments as “shocking”, underlining that two queer people were killed in cold blood in Bratislava less than two years ago.
In the interviews, the minister also mocked and criticised Lubna Jaffery, a 44-year-old Norwegian culture minister, for her decision to flash her breasts at Oslo Pride last week.
“This is not culture,” said the Slovak minister, asking a female journalist, “When I undress here and show you my breasts, will that be okay?”
The minister has criticised several queer projects presented in the institutions funded by the state, including books and paintings, in recent months.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
Politics: The Constitutional Court upholds criticised criminal law reforms, and the coalition immediately used it to attack the opposition.
Bratislava: A cyclist targeted by aggressive car drivers in the capital.
Travel: Veľký Draždiak, a lake in Bratislava, is not an official swimming spot. This may change if a high voltage power line is removed.
Business: “As gen-Z enters the job market, they will be the ones who will shape the job market of the future,” says Kristína Ďurechová, a marketing specialist of ManpowerGroup Slovensko.
History: How the village of Vyšný Slavkov, eastern Slovakia, has changed. Look at a photo from the 1920s.
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FEATURE STORY
Ukrainian student finds good in Slovaks amid Russian propaganda
Taras Tsohla in Paris during the Free Iran World Summit 2023. (source: Courtesy of T. T.)
Taras Tsohla, a Ukrainian student, believes that the decision to move to Banská Bystrica, central Slovakia, for university studies was a good one. The fact that half of Slovaks believe Russian narratives and hoaxes does not draw him away from working and living in Slovakia.
“The other half doesn’t believe in them, and they are great people,” he says in an interview.
WHAT’S ON IN BRATISLAVA
13 things to do in the city
A tram by the Danube is used for cultural events. (source: Facebook/T3 - kultúrny prostriedok)
On July 6, which is Saturday, you can look forward to the passionate music of South America.
Three days later, you can watch Sans Soleil, a 1983 French documentary by the Danube River.
IN OTHER NEWS
Juraj Gedra (Smer), the head of the Government Office, was responsible for discrediting the opposition and attacking the media online about 14 years ago, writes the Denník N daily. Gedra sent instructional emails to fake commenters and bloggers who were young social democrats supporting Smer. For example, they labelled former PM Iveta Radičová as an “alcoholic” in comments and on blogs. One of these fake commentators was current Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas).
The majority of voters disagree with ministers in the Robert Fico government nearly doubling their salaries. Most people, except for Smer voters, also oppose Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) receiving a lifelong pension equivalent to a lawmaker’s salary. Additionally, most people believe that government members should not have the right to fly to football matches of the Slovak national team using government aircraft, according to an Ipsos survey from late June. (Denník N)
The May 15 shooting attack of PM Fico is now being investigated as a terrorist attack, General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka announced on Thursday. It is unclear whether new evidence has emerged in the case. An information embargo is imposed on the case.
Košice police officers from the Košice-Staré Mesto district on Pribinova Street have again tortured a person. A similar incident occurred a few years ago. A police report from the end of June, available to Denník N, describes how a group of police officers beat a detained man with a baton and kicked him. Later, the officers used the baton to push it into the man’s anus. The police officers are likely still on duty today.
The Swedish company CabinAir is going to invest in Slovakia. The company manufactures air purification solutions mostly for the car industry. It plans to supply its products to the nascent Volvo plant in eastern Slovakia, but other carmakers have also expressed interest in them. The investment is expected to gradually reach some €1.5 million and create 15-20 new jobs at the beginning. (SITA)
Tourists paddle a boat on the Štrbské pleso lake during the summer tourist season at Štrbské Pleso, northern Slovakia, June 30, 2024. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THE LONG WEEKEND: The weather during the long weekend will be partly cloudy. Temperatures will range from 25°C to 33°C. Showers may appear on Sunday, especially in the Trenčín and Žilina Regions. Similar weather can also be expected on Monday. (SHMÚ)
NAME DAYS IN SLOVAKIA: Cyril and Metod (July 5), Patrik and Patrícia (July 6), Oliver (July 7), Ivan (July 8).
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