(source: Radka Minarechová)
Around 100 people gathered at SNP Square in Bratislava on May 23 to remember the death of Henry Acorda, a Filipino expat who died in Bratislava last year, succumbing to injuries sustained during an aggressive attack.
One of the reasons for organising the gathering was the ruling issued in mid-May. The court sentenced Juraj Hossu, who attacked and beat Acorda to death, to six years in prison, which caused outrage among many people.
“I want to thank the people who helped us,” Acorda’s mother wrote in a letter read out at the gathering. “My family and I are very disappointed by the six-year sentence court ruling for [Juraj] Hossu, the killer. Are six years enough for my son’s life?”
The speakers said at the gathering that Acorda died because of the escalating aggressivity and violence against women, minorities and foreigners in our society.
“Henry's legacy must be understood as a challenge - to defend ourselves, not to be indifferent and to change society,” Alena Faragulová of Povstanie Pokračuje (Uprising Continues), the organiser of the gathering, said.
The gathering then moved to Obchodná Street, to the spot where Acorda was beaten on May 26, 2018. People laid flowers and lit candles.
