On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, up to 18,000 people gathered on Sunday on the Bratislava's Námestie SNP square at a meeting held by opposition parties Progressive Slovakia, SaS and KDH. (source: TASR)
On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the events of November 17, 1989, memorial gatherings were held in 21 towns across Slovakia. According to Juraj Rizman from Platform for Democracy, some events also observed a minute of silence for the man who died as a result of police brutality in Košice. Rizman added that he believes that a fair investigation of the entire case will be carried out. He also expressed gratitude and support to all honest members of the Slovak police corps who fulfil their duties well and adhere to the "help and protect" motto.
"We were stunned that those who are supposed to protect us committed violence and no one assumed responsibility. We are concerned that attacks on us, ordinary people, have been increasing in Slovakia," said Zuzana Denková from the Banská Štiavnica We Will Not Be Silent initiative.
According to Ondrej Bukna from the Orava for Decent Slovakia initiative, remembering November 17 and not commenting on the current social issues, especially police violence, would be like looking for an alibi. "We are not remembering history for history's sake. We are remembering it so that it serves us as a lesson and so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. And that's why, just like in 1989, we must say a resolute no today to this police brutality," he declared.
Thousands gathered in Bratislava
According to safety expert Martin Královič from SafetyCrew, on Sunday evening between 17,000 to 18,000 people came to the Velvet Revolution anniversary gathering in Bratislava held by the opposition parties Progressive Slovakia (PS), KDH and SaS. At the beginning, presenter Kristína Tormová invited the people to sing the song Modlitba pro Martu (Prayer for Marta) by Marta Kubišová (sang during the November 1989 protests - Ed. note). The event also started with a minute's silence for the homeless man who was beaten to death by a policeman in Košice last week.
