HUNDREDS of mostly young people gathered on Hviezdoslavovo Square on October 15 and then marched to the headquarters of the Penta financial group to protest against what they called the undue influence of business groups on the distribution of national wealth, the TASR newswire reported. The protest was patterned after the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations that started in New York City which have spread to other cities across the world.
“Regardless of the outcome of elections in Slovakia, it is always the same people who rule Slovakia – two or three financial groups and five, maybe six, businessmen,” said Eduard Chmelár, one of the organisers of the protest, as quoted by TASR. He added that the profits of banks in Slovakia have grown by 60 percent this year while ordinary people have needed to tighten their belts in response to austerity measures.
“People in 1,400 cities on five continents are protesting in support of the same basic goals today,” Chmelár stated.
The organisers said one aim of the protest is to write a new constitution for Slovakia that would strengthen the standing of ordinary people and curb the influence of political parties and business groups that finance them.
A petition was launched to that effect after the protest, TASR wrote.
