Roma activists have said that members of the minority in the north Slovak city of Poprad are afraid to visit voting stations this weekend after a series of racially-motivated attacks on Roma in Poprad this year.
City police have said they will increase patrols in the Poprad South district for elections, but local activist Gabriel Hlaváč says the groups of shaven-headed men who congregate around a shopping mall will keep many Roma from venturing out to the polls.
Poprad has seen six racially-motivated attacks on Roma this year. Last week, a group of 10 men attacked three Roma, leaving a young woman with serious stab wounds and a fractured skull.
Seven people have been arrested in the incident, including boys as young as 15 years.
Compiled by Tom Nicholson from press reports.
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
