VZCZCXRO7911
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSL #0156/01 0751618
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 161618Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0774
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

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