SLOVAKIA’S leading state officials have expressed their condolences to the Norwegian people, who have been in mourning following the bloodiest attack on the nation since World War II. Slovakia, however, has also appeared in relation to the murders in another context. Anders Behring Breivik, who has confessed carrying out the attacks and killing at least 76 people on July 22, praised the Central European country in his manifesto for having resisted the spread of multiculturalism.
Meanwhile, Slovaks have found many ways of expressing their sympathy with Norway, a country with strong democratic values, widespread social inclusion, and an emphasis on multiculturalism. Candles have been lit in front of the Norwegian embassy, people have used social networking sites to voice their sorrow, and Norwegian national symbols have been worn in solidarity.
“Allow me to emphatically condemn these inexcusable acts of violence and convey my hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda wrote on July 22 in a letter of condolence to his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store, TASR newswire reports. “Please pass on my condolences to the families of the victims and everyone affected by these violent acts.”
Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič sent his letter of condolence to King Harald V, while Prime Minister Iveta Radičová expressed deep sorrow and sympathy on behalf of Slovakia and its people in a letter to her Norwegian counterpart Jens Stoltenberg.
The manifesto of the mass murderer
In his 1,516 page manifesto entitled ‘2083 – A European Declaration of Independence’, Breivik praised Slovakia for what he called its low levels of “multicultural indoctrination".
Slovakia took first place in a survey that Breivik claimed to conduct on Facebook by contacting "like-minded individuals". Along with Slovenia, Slovakia scored 90 points out of a maximum of 100, making them the countries with the lowest levels of "multicultural indoctrination", followed by the Czech Republic on 80 points. In contrast, the United States was given 30 points, the United Kingdom 10, and Germany 8, TASR newswire reports.
In a chapter devoted to right-wing parties and nationalist organisations, a number of Slovakian parties are mentioned by Breivik. He describes the opposition Slovak National Party (SNS) as a nationalist party, while Vladimír Mečiar's non-parliamentary party Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) are described as anti-immigration with a question mark. The extremist organisation Slovenská Pospolitosť are labelled a nationalist movement.
Moreover, Breivik’s manifesto states that SNS are trying to become a member of Euronat, the European association of nationalist and patriotic political parties.
“It isn't appropriate for SNS to comment on remarks made by a psychopath,” said the spokesperson of SNS party Andrej Danko, as quoted by TASR.
Danko added that SNS protests against anybody linking the party with the “heinous” acts in Norway. Moreover, he asserted that Breivik deserves the death penalty and not a ridiculous 21-year prison sentence, TASR reports.
The members of HZDS have also rejected any attempts to link the party with Breivik. The party’s Head of the Department of Public Opinion, Stanislav Háber, stated that discussing documents and assessing the mindset of the murderer only fulfils his desire to be seen.
The Norwegian extremist also categorised countries according to their concentration of the Nordic genotype. He claimed that this currently reaches 30 percent in Slovakia, and added that if current trends continue, the ratio should fall to 20 percent in 2040 and to 15 percent in 2070, TASR reported.
With press reports
