Growing Protests Threaten Slovakia’s Pro-Russian Leader
NEED TO KNOW
Growing Protests Threaten Slovakia’s Pro-Russian Leader
SLOVAKIA
Almost 18 months ago, former Prime Minister Robert Fico and his leftist Smer-SD party returned to power.
And protesters returned to the streets.
Now, those demonstrations are growing and are threatening to bring down the government.
In early February, protesters braved the cold to express their anger at his surprise trip to Russia to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Almost no European leader has visited Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine three years ago.
“Resign, resign,” was the refrain of the protests, as well as “Slovakia is Europe,” and “We’ve had enough of Fico.”
“I feel really disappointed by our government,” Richard, who attended the protests, told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. “When I was 12 years old, I took to the streets with my father, protesting against communism in November 1989. And now here I am fighting for democracy once again.”
It is Fico’s fourth stint as Slovakia’s leader. He became prime minister after his anti-European Union, anti-US Smer party’s victory in the general election in October 2023. Five years earlier, he was ousted after the murder of an investigative journalist who was investigating Fico and other members of his circle. The 2018 murder brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets in the largest protests since those of the 1989 anti-communist Velvet Revolution in what was then Czechoslovakia.
On Feb. 21, more than 100,000 people demonstrated against Fico to mark the murder’s anniversary, the biggest protests since the demonstrations in 2018.
Since he regained office, he’s been infuriating many voters with his pro-Russian, anti-EU, and anti-Ukraine stance. He has ended Slovakia’s military aid for Ukraine, criticized EU sanctions on Russia, and vowed to block Ukraine from joining NATO. He declared Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy an enemy and he’s made repeated overtures to Russia, culminating in his trip to Moscow.
Fico’s defense minister said last year that EU officials, rather than discussing military aid for Ukraine, should be repatriating Ukrainian men back home so they can join the war. Meanwhile, his government has also sued Slovakia’s former prime minister and defense minister for providing fighter jets and other arms to Ukraine.
At home, he has been criticized for undermining the rule of law, with critics pointing to his criminal justice reform plan that they said would weaken corruption investigations and prosecutions and was a ploy to allow his allies to escape corruption charges. In the year since, Slovakia dropped dramatically on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.
He’s attempted to label certain NGOs as “foreign agents” and implement laws that forbid protests, setting off renewed anger.
His supporters say that Fico is trying to do his best for the country and that the protests are “a generational problem,” as Maria, who grew up under communism, told Agence France Presse. “The older generation knows how politics works. Nothing is black and white.”
Still, Fico, who survived an assassination attempt in May, has been escalating tensions by accusing protest organizers of being funded by foreigners attempting to engineer a coup in the country.
Analysts say they believe the protests will bring down the government again. Already, the opposition is planning a vote of no confidence.
Smer’s coalition government has become shaky, and moderates are increasingly concerned about Fico’s extremism and his erratic behavior – the paranoia and the repetition of conspiracy theories among other things, wrote the Center for European Policy Analysis. Also, moderates do not want to see the country leave the EU or NATO, it added.
Meanwhile, academics, doctors, psychologists, and scientists have been calling for the prime minister to step down over concerns about his mental state.
Speaking at a protest in late January in Prešov in eastern Slovakia, Eva Kulová, 84, who was among those who helped topple communism decades ago, believes the government is running scared. “The specter of a coup haunts them day and night,” she said.
“… we are here because of a … moral deficit,” she added. “That’s what brought us out to these city squares. And there will be more and more of us.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
Israel & Gaza: Dealmaking Stalled
ISRAEL/ WEST BANK & GAZA
Israel blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip over the weekend as it called for Hamas to agree to a US-proposed ceasefire extension, escalating tensions as negotiations for a second phase of the truce have stalled, the BBC reported.
The first phase of the ceasefire – which began on Jan. 19 and expired on Saturday – ended 15 months of conflict in Gaza that began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas and its allies launched a surprise attack in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage.
Israel’s response devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health officials.
The first part of the three-phase ceasefire deal saw the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The ceasefire plan – originally mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States – is intended to lead to a permanent cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
But over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Hamas rejected a proposal by US envoy Steve Witkoff for a six-week extension of the truce through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Jewish Passover. That would have started with the release of half of the remaining hostages, both living and dead.
Netanyahu’s office announced Sunday that no further aid would enter Gaza until Hamas agrees to the proposal.
Hamas officials condemned the aid suspension as “cheap blackmail” and called on mediators to intervene. While aid organizations confirmed that thousands of supply trucks had entered Gaza throughout the ceasefire period, they warned that an extended blockade could severely impact civilians, CBS News noted.
Egyptian officials have urged all parties to abide by the original ceasefire framework, while the World Food Programme stressed the need to continue providing humanitarian assistance.
Hamas has maintained that it will not agree to an extension of the ceasefire’s first phase without guarantees that the second phase –which includes further hostage exchanges and the withdrawal of Israeli military forces – will take place.
Negotiations on phase two were scheduled to begin in early February but have seen little progress.
The ceasefire talks are further complicated by broader questions of governance. Hamas has reiterated its willingness to cede political control of Gaza to a Palestinian unity government or an independent technocratic administration, provided it does not involve exile for its leadership, NBC News added.
However, the Iran-backed group remains unwilling to disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established, a condition Netanyahu and his government have firmly rejected. Israeli officials have insisted that Hamas must not play a role in Gaza’s future governance.
Meanwhile, Israel has signaled its willingness to return to military operations if negotiations remain deadlocked. Hamas, in turn, has warned that it is prepared for renewed fighting if necessary.
Kurds In Turkey Move Toward Peace
TURKEY
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declared a ceasefire over the weekend following a call for peace from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, a move that marks a potential turning point in the decades-long conflict with Turkey that has claimed more than 40,000 lives, NPR reported.
On Thursday, Öcalan – held in Turkey’s Imrali Island prison since 1999 – called for his fighters to lay down their arms and for the PKK to dissolve itself. His message was delivered by the Imrali Delegation, which included members of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party.
Over the weekend, the PKK’s executive committee responded by affirming its willingness to comply but insisted that a party congress must first take place under Öcalan’s leadership and within a secure environment, Middle East Eye wrote.
Since the 1980s, the PKK has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state, initially seeking independence before shifting to demands for greater Kurdish autonomy.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed the ceasefire declaration as a “new phase” in ending the conflict, describing it as an opportunity to dismantle the “wall of terror” between Turkish and Kurdish communities.
Some analysts have suggested the move aligns with Erdoğan’s efforts to secure Kurdish support for a constitutional amendment that would allow him to run for reelection in 2028.
However, his administration has simultaneously increased pressure on pro-Kurdish political movements, recently replacing elected mayors with government-appointed officials.
The decision comes amid shifting political and security dynamics in the region, following last year’s ousting of Syrian President Bashar Assad, potentially influencing the PKK’s shift.
While the PKK’s announcement signals the first substantial step toward peace in a decade, skepticism remains. Security analysts cautioned that divisions within the PKK and among its regional allies, including the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, could complicate the process.
For example, the PKK’s leadership in Iraq’s Qandil Mountains has become increasingly autonomous and may impose its own conditions before disbanding.
Meanwhile, some factions questioned Erdoğan’s intentions, given ongoing crackdowns on Kurdish political activists, journalists, and local governments.
If the ceasefire holds, it could pave the way for broader reconciliation efforts. However, analysts cautioned that a return to conflict remains a possibility if political conditions do not improve for the Kurdish population in Turkey.
Far-Right Protesters In Romania Express Fury Over Election
ROMANIA
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital Bucharest over the weekend in the latest demonstration by Romania’s far-right groups after the constitutional court annulled last year’s presidential election and the victory of their candidate, the Associated Press reported.
On Saturday, demonstrators waved Romania’s tricolor flags and chanted slogans like “Down with the Government!” and “Thieves.”
The demonstrators also expressed support for Călin Georgescu, the populist candidate who won the first round in November before the election was canceled amid allegations of irregularities and foreign interference. Protesters also demanded that only the second round of presidential elections be held.
The protest was organized by the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which called for the resignation of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and accused the government of suppressing democracy.
Saturday’s demonstrations followed a failed no-confidence vote Friday, backed by the AUR and two other far-right opposition parties, aimed at ousting Ciolacu’s pro-Western coalition government.
Romania has been grappling with a series of protests since December, when the country’s top court annulled the results of the first round of voting just days before the Dec. 8 runoff, France 24 added.
Georgescu won the first round in a surprise victory, despite previously polling in the single digits and reporting no campaign spending. The controversy sparked concerns of election violations and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied.
Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into Georgescu, accusing him of supporting fascist groups, incitement against the constitutional order, and making false declarations regarding the financing of his campaign.
Prosecutors placed him under “judicial control.” Meanwhile, it remains unclear if he will be able to run in the upcoming election. Addressing protesters on Saturday, Georgescu claimed his candidacy had been unfairly targeted, saying, “The system has maliciously tried to divide us.”
The first round of the rerun presidential election is now scheduled for May 4, with a possible runoff on May 18.
DISCOVERIES
Ancient Roman Ruins Found Under London’s Financial District
Under London’s financial district, which is dominated by glass-and-steel towers, archeologists recently uncovered massive stone foundations belonging to a nearly 2,000-year-old Roman basilica.
“This is one of the most significant discoveries made in the City in recent years,” said Sophie Jackson, director of developer services at the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), in a statement. “It’s like discovering the Speaker’s Chair and chamber of the House of Commons, 2,000 years into the future.”
Built around 80 CE, this basilica wasn’t just any Roman structure – it was the administrative, judicial, and commercial hub of Roman London – then known as Londinium.
Researchers believe that on this spot, magistrates handed down rulings, merchants conducted business, and political leaders made decisions that shaped the city’s future.
What makes the find even more remarkable is how much of the structure has survived centuries of development. The excavation revealed walls more than 30 feet long and foundations about 13 feet deep, constructed from flint, ragstone, and Roman tile.
The team believes they’ve uncovered a section of the tribunal – the raised platform where officials once handled legal and political matters.
The excavation is part of a redevelopment project aimed at integrating the Roman remains into the new building to create a public exhibition space similar to the nearby London Mithraeum, which houses a Roman temple discovered under Bloomberg’s headquarters.
If approved, the site could open to visitors by 2029, offering Londoners and tourists alike a rare chance to stand where Roman officials once governed nearly two millennia ago.
“For something so important to the history of London to survive so much development over so many centuries is really remarkable,” Jane Sidell, principal inspector for ancient monuments at Historic England, told NPR. “You can read all you like, you can watch ‘Gladiator’ at the cinema, but when you actually physically come face-to-face with something that’s been there that connection with a nearly 2,000-year-old legacy is amazing.”