COMBATING EXTREMISM IN SLOVAKIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000771

SIPDIS


STATE FOR EUR, R, AND P

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2015
TAGS: PREL KDEM KPAO EAID PHUM KMPI LO
SUBJECT: COMBATING EXTREMISM IN SLOVAKIA


Classified By: DCM Lawrence R. Silverman for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (C) Summary. The GOS and the USG have actively funded
programs to combat extremism and intolerance in Slovakia.
Extremism here takes the form of a privately organized
Neo-Nazi movement, which usually targets the Roma minority
and the small Jewish population. Violent attacks have
occurred in the past years, as well as hate speech, overt
cases of discrimination, and instances of vandalism, although
less frequently than in past years. The police continually
monitor known extremists and maintain teams of trained
specialists. The small and fragmented Muslim community has
not produced any extremist behavior. However, GOS and USG
programming has included outreach events to the Muslim
community, as well as to the general public about human
rights and tolerance. End Summary

The Neo-Nazi Movement
--------------


2. (SBU) Extremist behavior in Slovakia is usually carried
out by a fairly organized Neo-Nazi movement. Ministry of
Interior (MOI) officials estimate that there are
approximately 500 active Neo-Nazis operating in Slovakia,
with about 3,000 to 5,000 symapthizers. There are occasional
violent attacks directed toward the Roma minority or the
small Jewish population. Vandalism and destruction of Jewish
cultural property is also reported, although perhaps less
frequently than in the past. Some organized extremist groups
were able to obtain permits to openly meet for Slovak
national holidays associated with the Nazi puppet state
headed by the War criminal Tiso.


3. (C) Over the past three to four years, police have begun
to crack down on Neo-Nazi groups. Trained specialists and
advisors work to identify active members and make arrests.
There have been two important Bratislava raids in the past
and an important arrest of a major organizer. Some meetings
are legal and announced beforehand, which helps the police.
The MOI advisor on extremism told emboffs that the MOI has
registered certain groups allowing them to exist legally, in
order to be better informed about their activities.
Meanwhile, NGOs try to counter these groups by publicly
criticizing their behavior, organizing
counter-demonstrations, and urging tolerance.

Islam in Slovakia
--------------


4. (C) The small Muslim community in Slovakia comprises
mostly of individuals who immigrated to the former
Czechoslovakia under communism for education and employment
opportunities. Most of these migrants now have citizenship
and are integrated into Slovak society. International
students and newer migrants are more religious, but the
community is not large enough to support the building of a
mosque. The community is very diverse and fragmented, and
there is no evidence of Muslim extremism.


5. (C) Post has supported outreach programming targeting
Muslims in Slovakia. In 2004, the embassy invited a speaker
on US-Arab relations and hosted an Iftar dinner during
Ramadan for the small community. We also will be speaking at
a Slovak organized event on October 2 to commemmorate the
life of slain journalist Daniel Pearl. Emboffs frequently
talk to government interlocutors and religious leaders about
reforming the Law on Religious Registration. In order for
Islam to become an official religion, there must be 20,000
premanent resident adherents. The GOS is hesitant to lower
the prohibitive registration requirement, for all religions,
because the government is obligated to provide subsidies and
pay the salaries for the clergy. A number of politicians
have also vocalized objections to Islam becoming an official
religion since the overwhelming majority of Slovaks are
Catholic.

State Department and Other USG-Funded Programs
-------------- -


6. (U) USAID and SEED funded programming in Slovakia has
wrapped down after operating more than ten years in-country.
The only on-going program is the multi-regional USAID Roma
project designed to improve mutual understanding by
encouraging integrated decision-making strategies and
highlighting issues at the national level. The project has
had several successes, such as the adoption of a government
program to fund social workers in targeted Roma communities
in which residents live far below the poverty line. Other
activities include supporting microgrants to local groups
after completing detailed needs surveys, localized conflict
management training, and national round table discussions.


7. (SBU) In recent years, the U.S. Embassy Democracy

Commission grants supported local NGO activities to help


fight extremism and discrimination. Nearly 30 percent of the
total number of grants went to support activities working
with minorities, women, and children. Several of these
grants have had a lasting impact on Slovak society. For
example, the Democracy Commission in 2004 supported the
production of three documentaries that show Roma success
stories to balance somewhat sensationalized stories in the
press. These documentaries continue to be used at cultural
events and aired on television.

Local NGO Efforts
--------------


8. (U) One of the most visible NGOs working to combat
extremism in Slovakia is the NGO People Against Racism. The
organization works with youth, police, and government
officials as their constitutents. The embassy provided a
democracy commission grant in 2003 to this organization to
study how minorities were portrayed in the press and donated
excess furniture items to their office after an arson attack.
They also operate a monitoring center for extremist behavior
funded by the European Union. Other activities include:

-- police training about Neo-Nazi symbology and behavior
-- human rights education in schools
-- public lectures and demonstrations about tolerance at
youth sporting events
-- conference organization
-- daily press monitoring
-- participation on governmental advisory committees
-- public statements in the press about extremist violence

People Against Racism is at the forefront of opposition to
the activities of the Neo-Nazi, Pospolitost group. Several
other Slovak organizations, such as Citizen and Democracy and
the Milan Simecka Foundation, have also managed programs that
support human rights education in schools.


9. (U) The organization League of Human Rights Activists
offers pro-bono legal representation for victims of extremist
attacks and cases of discrimination. They are currently
representing several cases at the Supreme Court,
Constitutional Court, and the European Court of Human Rights.
They also maintain a wide system of human rights monitors
that alerts the organization about people that need legal
assistance and help working with police.

Instances of Hate Speech
--------------


10. (C) Occasionally certain Slovak politicians use racial
slurs and hate speech as a tool to increase their popularity
and appeal to voters in areas with large Roma communities,
unemployment, and higher crime. The mayor of Zilina, who is
the Chairman of the Slovak Nationalist Party (SNS),has made
several negative statements about Roma. In 2003, he offered
to pay for Roma males to be sterilized in response to a
scandal about alleged coerced sterilization of Roma women.
There were several unsuccessful attempts to investigate and
prosecute the Zilina mayor for hate speech.


11. (U) As it is illegal in Slovakia to defame nationalities
or to belittle the Holocaust, the Slovak police monitor
internet web pages that host hate speech and try to arrest or
fine the authors. The police frequently complain that most
of these sites are hosted on U.S. web servers because of more
liberal freedom of speech laws. When warranted the Slovak
police have requested the assistance of U.S. law enforcement
to help with joint investigations.


12. (C) Post monitors the press daily for occurrences of hate
speech. Officers include any instances found in the Human
Rights Report, Religious Freedom Report, and special
demarches, such as last years report on Anti-Semitism.
Emboffs often encourage politicians to make public statements
against acts of violence when they occur.

Host Government Efforts
--------------


13. (U) The GOS have organized several comprehensive
anti-discrimination campaigns both from EU sources and the
GOS budget. The Section for Human Rights at the Government
Office has managed the Government Action Plan against
Xenophobia and Intolerance and expanded offices and programs
concentrating on Roma Affairs. Most programs have been
incorporated into public education and existing legislation.
In 2004, Slovakia passed a new anti-discrimination law,
which provides the framework for affirmative action and pro
bono legal representation. The Slovak Republic has also
passed other action plans delineating benchmarks from the
on-going improvement of education and housing for the Roma

minority.

Comment
--------------


14. (C) Slovakia is combating extremism on several fronts.
The law enforcement and legislative aspects have improved
over the past few years. However, the problem persists,
particularly in the investigation and prosecution of
extremists. Several lawyers are seeking to find cases that
would test the new anti-discrimination law to put it actively
into practice, which they feel would begin to change the
language and actions of Slovak society in general.
VALLEE


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