THOUSANDS OF ethnic Hungarians have rallied in Slovakia to protest against a new law that they claim is the government’s latest attempt to suppress Hungarian language and culture.
The demonstration came amid a sharp deterioration in relations between the neighbouring states, following repeated accusations that each side was stoking or failing to control growing nationalism and a decision by Slovakia to bar Hungary’s president from entering the country.
About 7,000 people marched in the town of Dunajska Streda, close to Slovakia’s border with Hungary, in opposition to a law which stipulates that only the Slovak language can be used in most public offices and institutions, with repeat offenders threatened with a €5,000 fine.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe has said the law respects minority rights, but Hungarians denounced it as the latest act of discrimination from a ruling coalition that includes the far-right Slovak National Party. Its leader, Jan Slota, is known for his fiery rhetoric against Budapest, which ruled the territory of modern-day Slovakia until Austria-Hungary was broken up after the first World War.
“We want to send a message to all Hungarians living in Slovakia not to yield to intimidation, not to fear and freely use their native language in the public life,” Pal Csaky, leader of Slovakia’s ethnic-Hungarian SMK party, told demonstrators in Slovak, Hungarian and English.
Rising nationalism in both countries has soured relations, and their prime ministers plan to meet next week in an attempt to calm the situation.
Tension grew late last month after Slovakia barred Hungarian president Laszlo Solyom from visiting the country to unveil a statue of a medieval Hungarian king.
Bratislava said the president’s visit was inappropriate on the anniversary of the August 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by Soviet- led forces, which included Hungarian troops.