Pro-Palestine protestors gather outside the US Embassy on Bratislava's Hviezdoslavovo námestie square on 22 March 2025. (source: Oscar Brophy)
Two polarising Slovak figures were publicly shamed at a pro-Palestine protest in Bratislava last weekend, as organisers interrupted the rally to denounce the attendance of far-right influencer Daniel Bombic and Russia-friendly MEP Ľuboš Blaha of the ruling Smer party.
“These people were not invited, nor were they welcome,” the organisers said.
The Saturday protest gathered on Hviezdoslavovo námestie in central Bratislava to oppose the latest wave of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, which, according to health officials in the territory, have killed up to 500 people, including many children. This brings the total death toll for Gazans to over 50,000 since the current conflict started. The ongoing war in Gaza began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the 365 km² Gaza Strip, launched a large-scale attack on Israel, killing more than 1,000 soldiers and civilians and taking nearly 250 hostages. In response, Israel began a retaliatory campaign that has escalated over time, leaving much of Gaza—its health and energy infrastructure included—in ruins.
The turnout at the Bratislava rally was modest—about 80 people came to show their support. Some attendees attributed this to a general sense of demoralisation over the ongoing violence in the eastern Mediterranean. “People are just tired of seeing no change,” said Mohamed Saad, an Egyptian national living in Bratislava who attended the protest.
Despite the low turnout, two controversial figures were present. One of them was Daniel Bombic, a charged influencer and known Antisemite who goes by the alias Danny Kollár. He has a substantial online following, particularly on Telegram, where he has 65,000 subscribers. Several attendees told The Slovak Spectator they suspected Bombic’s presence was driven more by antisemitic intent than solidarity. Globally, pro-Palestinian movements have long maintained that support for Palestine must not be conflated with antisemitism.
During the speeches at the rally, one speaker drew a comparison between the persecution of Jews in Slovakia during the Second World War and the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government today.
Unlike Blaha, who wanted to march with the crowd, Bombic left shortly after the speeches concluded.
Student activist confronts Blaha
The moderator and leader of the protest was Alexandra Aganbegović, a member of Front, an anti-capitalist movement of young and working people, as well as a political science student. She moderated the speeches at the start of the event and led the march—megaphone in hand—first to the American Embassy, not far from the starting point outside the Palestinian Embassy at the top of Hviezdoslavovo námestie.
It was at this point that she turned her attention to Smer MEP Ľuboš Blaha. Known for his unusual blend of Marxism and social conservatism, Blaha was indirectly asked to move to the back of the protest. Aganbegović interpreted his position near the front—waving a pole bearing both Palestinian and Slovak flags—as “taking advantage of the protest for his own political gains”. Speaking through her megaphone, she repeatedly urged: “I would like to ask the politicians in attendance not to be at the front of the march, as the organisers do not wish to be associated with them. Please move to the back.”
Many in the crowd began chanting: “Back, back, back.”
Blaha appeared to either ignore the request or not realise it was directed at him.
Knowing Blaha and his views on the war Ukraine and queer people, Aganbegović then pointedly addressed a large group of protesters holding rainbow flags, praising the queer community for “doing more to raise awareness and educate people about Palestine, as well as organising charity collections, than any politician”. She also expressed support for the Ukrainian people living under occupation.
At this point, Blaha removed his flags from their pole and walked off with his associates into the distance. Blaha has long been critical of LGBT+ issues, referring to it in a recent interview with The Slovak Spectator as a "foreign ideology".
Speaking after the event, Blaha said: “I didn’t hear anyone addressing me personally. I had a conversation with the people around me. I just heard that, in the end, she started to promote the queer community, and it was strange. I was at the rally for peace in Palestine.”
Blaha’s argument echoes one he made in 2022 when, at a Smer gathering in Nitra, supporters chanted vulgar insults – “American c..t” – at then President Zuzana Čaputová, a politician unpopular with Smer. The chants followed a speech by Blaha, who later claimed he had not heard any offensive language.
On Telegram, he thanked the Palestinian ambassador, Safa Khaldi, for inviting him to the rally, adding a heart emoji.
Palestinian Ambassador Safa Khaldi with Smer MEP Ľuboš Blaha (source: Telegram/Ľuboš Blaha)
Protester draws link between Ukraine and Palestine
Some of the rallygoers disapproved of the organisers’ decision to call out Blaha.
Barhum Nakhlé, a Syrian-Slovak activist and immigration consultant, disagreed with Aganbegović’s actions, saying: “They should gather as much support as they can.” Nakhlé attended the protest bearing both Ukrainian and Palestinian flags. Speaking on the link between the two conflicts, he said: “Palestine, like Ukraine, is being attacked by its larger, more powerful neighbour. I guess the main difference is that Ukraine was, at least until recently, supported by the United States, whereas Palestine has no such support.”
Nakhlé told The Slovak Spectator that he had recently attended an anti-government protest organised by the Mier Ukrajine (Peace to Ukraine) movement, carrying the same flagpole “mainly just to represent the Palestine issue there”. He said the organisers approached him and asked him to remove the Palestinian flag. “It’s their protest, of course, so I did as they asked. But I still wanted to raise the issue.”
Mier Ukrajine responded by saying that they discourage attendees from flying either Israeli or Palestinian flags at their demonstrations, as “some people can perceive it as a provocation. Therefore, we have decided to request that attendees refrain from displaying these flags to prevent potential conflicts.”
