Slovak TV anchor charged with misdemeanor for racist Facebook post

The scandal of the racist status update posted by a former sports anchor for the RTVS public broadcasting television channel in Slovakia, Kristína Kormúthová, is now coming to an end. Police and the public prosecutor have investigated the incident and will now be addressing the case as a misdemeanor.  

"On 21 May a prosecution was initiated by an investigator in the matter of misdemeanor defamation, incitement and threats against persons because of their affiliation with a certain ethnic group, nation, nationality, origin, race or skin color. After reviewing the investigation file, the prosecutor has agreed with the findings of the police detective," Michal Šúrek, spokesperson for the Bratislava public prosecutor, told news server Aktuality.sk, adding that the entire matter will now be addressed through a misdemeanor proceeding.

The case will be handled by the Railway Police Department of the Regional Police Directorate in Trnava. In May, Kormúthová posted a racist status update to her Facebook profile as follows:  "Some prematurely-born stinking Gypsy steals a four-meter drainpipe from your house, it’s so Slovak. Why can’t we hunters shoot them like the pests they are?"

The anchor then threatened those who wanted to call her racist that one of these days they would be "bitten by something". While her post was visible only to those who had "friended" her on Facebook, someone soon spread it elsewhere online.

Kormúthová quickly erased the status update and apologized:  "I sincerely apologize for that rash statement, which was made in the heat of passion and is not compatible with my personal convictions. … I appreciate Romani people, my father played in a band with only Romani members. I have many Romani friends. I am sorry."

The anchor had to resign from her job with Slovak Television over the post and was no longer able to be the face of a fashion show slated to take place in Bratislava as part of the International Gypsy Fest. Romani performers criticized her for her remarks.