EuropeSlovakian Prime Minister Fico accuses opponents of plotting a coup
SDA
22.1.2025 - 21:08
ARCHIVE - Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico. Photo: Artyom Geodakyan/Sputnik/ Government Pool/AP/dpa
Keystone
The left-wing nationalist Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused political opponents of plotting a coup. He has therefore convened the National Security Council for Thursday, which President Peter Pellegrini also intends to attend. The opposition parties criticize that this is a scare tactic to intimidate peaceful demonstrators.
Keystone-SDA
22.01.2025, 21:08
SDA
The background to this is a report by the domestic intelligence service SIS, which Fico presented in a closed-door parliamentary session on Tuesday. As an SIS spokeswoman confirmed to the media afterwards, the report contained "serious information about long-term organized influence operations with the aim of destabilizing the Slovak Republic". According to Fico, opponents of the government who did not accept the result of the parliamentary elections in the fall of 2023 wanted to bring about a change of power by undemocratic means.
Non-violent protests
As the secret service is not allowed to publish its sources, one of the non-governmental organizations close to the opposition, which is currently organizing a wave of mass protests against the government, spoke out itself. The "Not in our city" initiative wrote that the secret service was probably relying on harmless messages that it had exchanged with friendly organizations. These were exclusively about non-violent methods of legitimate resistance.
On Facebook, the NGO published copies of a "strategy paper" created with the help of artificial intelligence, which outlines steps for an "escalation", including blockades of government buildings. The aim is to attract international attention against the government, but no violence is to be used. Together with the citizens' initiative "Mier Ukrajine" (Peace to Ukraine) and other protest movements, the NGO is also organizing nationwide mass protests against the Slovakian government this Friday evening.