SLOVAKIA POLITICAL ROUNDUP - NATIONALIST EDITION,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRATISLAVA 000156 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI LO SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA POLITICAL ROUNDUP - NATIONALIST EDITION, MARCH 16, 2007 REF: BRATISLAVA 21 ON THE RISE: RACIAL ATTACKS OR REPORTS OF ATTACKS? -------------- -------------- ¶1. (U) On March 13, two NGOs held a press conference to draw attention to racist attacks against minorities and people of color. In the space of two weeks, a resident Nigerian, two resident Vietnamese, several Spanish exchange students, a Mexican exchange student, and a Romani-Slovak were physically attacked in four separate racially-motivated incidents. The Nigerian victim, who lives with his Slovak wife and children in the town of Martin, asserted that Bratislava police told him to go home when he first reported that he had been attacked by seven or eight skinheads. When he insisted on filing a report, the police charged him as the offender. A lawyer from the League of Human Rights Activists is representing the Nigerian. In the other attacks, the police recognized the victims as victims. They have caught the culprits who attacked the Romani-Slovak. A Jewish rabbi who was verbally attacked in January in Bratislava reported that the police were very helpful in his case. ¶2. (U) Police have not released the number of racially-motivated attacks that have been reported thus far in 2007, so there is no month-on-month comparison to determine whether attacks are on the rise. From 2005 to 2006, the number of reported incidents went from 121 to 188, a number which is 10-fold more than a decade ago. However, this could indicate a greater willingness of victims to go to the police, as opposed to a greater number of violent attacks. NGOs believe that racially motivated crimes remain under-reported. People Against Racism will hold a "Stop Racism" rally in Bratislava on March 21 in conjunction with the European week against racism. The Ambassador will be a featured speaker at the rally. Post continues to raise our concerns about racial incidents. NATIONALIST MP IS A SUPPORTER OF FORMER FASCIST STATE -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) According to media reports, Slovak National Party (SNS) MP Jozef Rydlo commemorated the anniversary of the founding of the WWII-era Slovak fascist state on March 14 by attending a ceremony with members of Slovenska Pospolitost, a neo-Nazi organization. Several former MPs from the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) also attended. Approximately 200 Tiso-sympathizers, including many Pospolitost members, marked the day by visiting the grave of Jozef Tiso, the head of the wartime fascist state which deported tens of thousands of Slovak Jews, Roma, and others to their deaths in Nazi concentration camps. Over half of the attendees at the event reportedly had shaved heads. The police monitored the event but did not intervene as it remained peaceful. ¶4. (U) The new head of Slovenska Pospolitost, Ivan Sykora, praised Tiso at the graveside event. Sykora had assumed leadership of Pospolitost just two days prior. Though technically an NGO since it was banned as a political party in March 2006, Slovenska Pospolitost held a "party congress" to elect its new leader. ¶5. (SBU) On February 12, the "Initiative for Freedom of Speech," an NGO with close ties to Slovenska Pospolitost, held a rally in Bratislava in support of "free speech." Specifically, the group wanted to show support for Archbishop Jan Sokol, who recently spoke out in admiration of Jozef Tiso (ref). Police estimate that 20 people participated in the rally, which was held in the Square of the Slovak National Uprising, named for a historical event in which, ironically, the Slovak people attempted to expel the pro-Nazi regime in ¶1944. According to press reports, the rally itself was a "farce" due to the low turnout. An earlier rally planned by the Initiative had been banned by the Mayor of Bratislava-Old Town. The ban did not stop the previous rally entirely -- one member of our Embassy community accidentally came across the aborted event and witnessed a youth shouting "sieg heil" and giving the Hitler salute before being chased by several police. ¶6. (U) A recent survey showed that 48 percent of Slovaks do not respect Tiso while only 16 percent do. Over one-third are undecided on the issue. Most Tiso-supporters come from the ranks of the religious faithful, senior citizens, and those with only an elementary-school education. As for political party affiliation, 40 percent of Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) supporters and 28 percent of both SNS and HZDS supporters esteem Tiso. BRATISLAVA 00000156 002 OF 002 SLOTA PROTECTS TISO TO THE LAST -------------- ¶7. (SBU) On February 8, the Ambassador met with the new Mayor of Zilina, Ivan Harman, who ousted SNS Chairman Jan Slota in December after 16 consecutive years in the position. The Ambassador asked about the empty spot in a line-up of photos of noteworthy Slovaks in the Mayor's office. Harman replied that Slota had left with a photo of Jozef Tiso under his arm, saying that it would be safer in his possession than in the office. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (SBU) While racism is a serious and ongoing problem in Slovakia, the government's willingness and ability to address it is steadily growing. Post has urged GOS officials to speak out against intolerance. Interior Minister Kalinak has assured the Ambassador that he takes the issue of racial attacks seriously. Post funds numerous projects that promote tolerance for diversity - religious, racial, ethnic, and otherwise - through our own programming and through support of NGO efforts. The Ambassador's participation in next week's "Stop Racism" rally is just one example of his frequent and public promotion of tolerance. VALLEE