SLOVAKIA PREPARES TO ABOLISH EXTREMIST POLITICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000642

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/04/2015
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SOCI SMIG PINR LO
SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA PREPARES TO ABOLISH EXTREMIST POLITICAL
PARTY


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires A.I. Lawrence R. Silverman for Reasons
1.5 (B) and (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: Slovakia is struggling to come
to terms with its diversity and diminish the influence of
racist extremist groups. A recent meeting with the Interior
Ministry's chief coordinator of the anti-extremism unit
revealed that the government allowed extremist group
Slovenska Pospolitost (an archaic term that translates
roughly as "Slovak Community") to register as a political
party, which allowed the MOI to collect detailed information
on the group's finances, membership, and activities, and
prepare for legal action against them. The issue of hate
speech and extremist groups in Slovakia, as it frequently
does elsewhere, has to walk the line between protecting
freedom of expression and protecting the safety of minority
groups. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT.

MOI TRIES TO CATCH FLIES WITH HONEY
--------------


2. (C) Poloffs met with Pavol Draxler, the chief
coordinator of the anti-extremism unit at the Ministry of the
Interior (MOI). Draxler briefed us on the status of
extremist political party Slovenska Pospolitost (an archaic
term that translates roughly as "Slovak Community"),a
nationalist group whose members frequently wear the black
uniforms of the wartime Slovak Republic's "Hlinka Guards,"
who participated in the deportation of Slovak Jews to Germany
during World War II. Draxler said that the MOI decided to
allow the group to register as a political party in January
2005 in order to help the government collect information
about the group's leadership, finances, and location around
Slovakia. On the other hand, this legitimacy has allowed
Pospolitost to use its legal status to continue promoting its
extremist and nationalist agenda in public demonstrations.
While such demonstrations are closely monitored by the
police, in the past three months Pospolitost has organized
marches in Revuca and in Komarno, both of which were directed
against the ethnic Hungarian minority in those towns.
Wearing their trademark black uniforms, Slovenska Pospolitost
scuffled with Hungarian residents in Komarno until the police
intervened.


3. (SBU) Pospolitost, however, is not just anti-Hungarian.
In response to criticism from Slovakia's Jewish community,
Pospolitost used its website (http://www.pospolitost.sk) to
condemn of Slovak Jews (especially those living in Komarno).
Members of the Union of Jewish Communities in Slovakia
(UNZZO) want to schedule a meeting with the Minister of the
Interior to request that Pospolitost's legal status as a
political party be revoked. The NGO People Against Racism,
and the Civic Conservative Party have already filed similar
requests.


4. (C) While Draxler would not discuss specifics, he said
the police are currently preparing a major "action" against
Pospolitost. Using evidence gathered from these raids, the
Ministry will then ask the General Prosecutor and the courts
to abolish the party, and to begin prosecuting its leaders.
According to Draxler, the MOI plan to allow the group to
register and act freely has worked, as the MOI has now
collected sufficient information and evidence on criminal
activities of the leaders. The police now have detailed
knowledge of Pospolitost supporters and leaders in Slovakia,
and Draxler showed us a map of Slovakia which indicated the
group's "strength" and support in different cities and
regions. In general, the largest support for Pospolitost is
in areas where in 1930's "Rodobrana", a fascist paramilitary
corps, had been formed; particularly in Western Slovakia
around Senica, Myjava, Hlohovec, Piestany, Trnava and Nitra.

THE MEN BEHIND POSPOLITOST
--------------


5. (C) The leader of Slovenska Pospolitost, Marian Kotleba,
is currently a teacher at a university in Banska Bystrica,
and his deputy works in the Trnava Nuclear Research
Institute. The organization boasts about 2,500
supporters/members, and has international ties to other
extremist groups, mainly "Obraz" in Russia and Serbia, and
"Noua Dreapta" in Romania. Draxler said it's much easier to
get information about Pospolitost than on the rest of the
extremist scene in Slovakia, which is mostly made up of
skinhead groups. The skinheads are usually divided into
small, flexible, dynamic groups, usually consisting of a
leader and several young followers.

THE EXTREMIST SCENE IN SLOVAKIA
--------------


6. (SBU) Extremist movements in Slovakia involve around
4,500 people. Compared with the past, Draxler feels that
this is an improvement. He noted that in 1996-1997,


extremist groups committed several murders, mostly of members
of the Roma minority. In 2001, the MOI prepared a strategy
for the elimination of extremist crime. In 2002, Minister of
Interior Vladimir Palko established a central coordination
committee for fighting extremism, in which all bodies dealing
with extremism - including investigators, prosecutors,
detectives, and regular "beat cops" - participate. In
addition, the prosecution and Ministry of Justice participate
in the working group, and the MOI has established two
anti-extremism specialist positions in each of the eight
regional police headquarters.


7. (SBU) Until 2002, the police only seldom identified a
crime as racially motivated or with extremist background. In
2002, MOI approved a new methodology for identification of
"extremist crimes," and issued training materials for
regional coordinators. In the wake of this training, the
number of identified extremist crimes rose from 40 in 2001 to
109 in 2002. The number peaked at 119 in 2003 before
tapering off to 79 in 2004, 57 of which were successfully
prosecuted by the police. In the first half of 2005, there
were 29 cases, 18 successfully prosecuted by the police.
(Note: More data is available at www.minv.sk/extremizmus).


8. (C) After successful raids by the police in Malacky (Dec
2004) and Dolny Kubin, the extreme scene is quieter and less
active in Slovakia. In Malacky, about 200 participants from
Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Finland
participated; police interrogated 80 persons, and 7 were
accused of a crime. Draxler said that as a result, Slovakia
is no longer perceived as a safe haven for extremists, and
that even certain Slovak extremist leaders prefer to stay in
the Czech Republic.

EXTREMISTS WORK WITH THEIR AMERICAN COUSINS...
-------------- --


9. (C) Draxler said that many of Slovakia's skinhead and
Pospolitost extremists receive their training in the United
States from radical Christian and racial hate groups. Many
of the inflammatory internet postings are housed on American
servers where they receive stronger free speech protection
than Slovak web hosts. Draxler said he believed that better
cooperation between units responsible for extremism and
internet providers would be useful.

...BUT POLICE HAVE TROUBLE COOPERATING
--------------


10. (C) Draxler lamented that international police
cooperation within the EU is weak. He said that cooperation
is somewhat better in the Visegrad countries, and mainly
between Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The Slovak MOI is
therefore organizing an EU meeting to discuss cooperation in
the fight against extremism. However, as an illustration of
how poor the cooperation is, Draxler told us of a German
citizen who resided for quite a long time in Banska Bystrica,
where he was printing materials with extremist content and
sending them to Western Europe. The Slovak police could not
do anything about it, as he was not doing anything illegal in
Slovakia, and the cooperation necessary to pursue an
international warrant with the involved EU countries simply
did not exist. Despite this lack of communication, Draxler
believes the anti-extremism unit and the system is working
well now in Slovakia.

DRAXLER ASKED TO CONSIDER ANTI-TRAFFICKING POST
-------------- --


11. (C) BIO NOTES: The young and clean-cut Draxler, who
originally hails from the NGO community, was recently asked
by the Minister of the Interior to consider applying for the
position of National Coordinator for Slovakia's new
anti-trafficking group (a position widely expected to be
filled by current anti-trafficking unit chief Anna
Babincova). Draxler said he told the Minister that he
preferred to continue his work against extremist groups, a
more cloak-and-dagger role that draws less spotlight -
something the generally shy Draxler may have found
unappealing about the anti-trafficking position.
SILVERMAN


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