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Slovak PM sharply criticizes minorities

28 February 2013
2 minute read

A dispute has flared up in Slovakia over whether bus stops and railway stations in areas predominantly inhabited by the Hungarian minority should be labeled bilingually. Slovak PM Robert Fico added fuel to the fire yesterday, saying he wants what he referred to as minority rights extortion to stop, whether it be on the part of an ethnic minority, minority opinion-holders, or the Romani minority.

The Hungarian Coalition Party (Strana maďarské koalice – SMK) and Béla Bugár’s moderate Most-Híd (Bridge) party are demanding bilingual bus and railway signs. The parties are calling on the government to introduce such bilingual signage by law.

News server Webnoviny.sk reports that the problem concerns roughly 250 municipalities in southern Slovakia. Unlike signage marking entry into and exits from municipalities, the existing law does not guarantee bilingual signs at bus stops and railway stations. Parties defending Hungarian minority rights want to change that.

Bugár said talks on this topic with Slovak Railways have now collapsed. Several days ago SMK launched its campaign for bilingual signage at bus stops and railway stations. Party chair József Berényi personally unveiled a sign with the Hungarian name "Ekecs" at the train station in Okoč.

PM Fico made his harsh remarks about minorities yesterday in the town of Martin, where he was attending a conference commemorating the 150th anniversary of Matica slovenská [Translator’s Note: An academic institution that focuses on Slovak culture]. Fico said it is becoming a habit in Slovakia for minorities to look for handouts while refusing to meet their obligations to the state.

"This must change. We did not establish our independent state to give preferential treatment to minorities, however much we appreciate them, but to privilege the Slovak nation-state in particular. It holds here that the state is a national one and our society is a civic one. It is a curious situation when minority problems are being intentionally foregrounded everywhere to the detriment of the Slovak nation-state. It’s as if there are no Slovak men and women living in Slovakia," Fico declared.

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