Thousands of Unionists Protest Against Present Conditions

By Oleg Koshevoy, Northstar Compass, February 2003

About 25,000 protestors marched in Bratislava, Slovakia, and since the November putsch of 1989 was there such number of people seen on the streets. This was a protest against the Czech counter-revolutionary Vaclav Havel's administration that dismembered Czechoslovakia. The number of demonstrators would have probably been much higher, but the Slovak and foreign employers prohibited all of their employees marching on pain of being fired.

The protest gave a clear signal what this counter-revolution can expect this coming spring. Drastic increases in energy costs, will affect all the population that now stands at 18% unemployed. We can expect social unrest and violent reaction by the new greedy bourgeois. The question of the number of protestors should be looked at as to the contents and slogans of the protestors. The union leader Ivan Saktor said that the protestors blocked all cross streets and roads in the capital city of Bratislava. The protestors carried signs about the upcoming budget, which is geared to restrict the power of the workers and of their unions. If this state budget is approved, the number of those living under the poverty line will increase by about 30%, which means about 1,500,000 people.

According to the trade union leader Ivan Saktor, this protest was the test for the upcoming planned spring demonstrations, if the Slovak government will not take this trade union warning seriously.

This protest demonstration was supported by some politicians, such as Robert Fico of the right opposition, who said that the present Slovak government cannot ignore the number of protestors and that his party will not support the government legislation which are anti social.

The representative of the Communist Party of Slovakia Karol Faynor, said that the demonstrators were there to warn the government that it cannot ignore the terrible state of affairs and that it cannot throw all of the ongoing problems unto the shoulders of the working people.

Now, ten years later, after the counter-revolution, the sobering effects are being understood and felt. The catchwords of democracy, solidarity, freedom, well being of all people that was being fed daily to the people by Radio Free Europe, the Voice of America and all other saboteurs and criminal elements inside NATO, have lost their meaning and values. People are beginning to wake up!

Above is a photo of one of the demonstrations held against the present Slovak government.

Also, here is just one photo of the German nationalist movement in Slovakia to change the names of cities, towns and villages from Slovak into German. This policy is being supported indirectly by the present regime and Germany.