A protest demonstration organised by Komárno University students promoting “the free use of the Hungarian mother language” ended on February 23 without any incident. More than 200 people attended the demonstration, the TASR newswire wrote.
Although the State Language Act is primarily designed to protect the official majority language, the law also restricts the languages of minorities, said the speakers. Furthermore, the legislation has a profound effect on the private sphere, an effect that the speakers deemed “unusual in normal democracies”.
People in attendance applauded the speeches delivered with an occasional Hungarian flag and protest signs against the State Language Act seen in the crowd.
“Slovaks need to concede that they're not the only nationality living in this country, as ethnic-Hungarians make up ten percent of taxpayers in Slovakia. The State Language Act can be considered domestic affairs only if properly discussed with all parties involved,” said Timea Tóthová from the Student Network organisation, as quoted by the TASR.
Police monitored the demonstration, inspecting the identity of some participants. A group of a dozen individuals clad in black clothes with striped Arpad flags gathered at the statue of Saint Stephen of Hungary prior to the demonstration. The group left after the arrival of police. The protests ended with participants singing together the Hungarian national anthem. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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