Video footage surfaces of Slovak politician bragging about throwing Romani people into a river when he was younger

Jozef Mihalčin, a follower of the Slovak fascist politician Marian Kotleba, is currently serving as head of the Vranov nad Toplou district. A video has been released of him publicly describing how he used to throw Romani people into a river when he was a young man.
The video was probably produced prior to the most recent local elections and has now been posted to Facebook by the Romani politician Irena Biháriová, who is running for the Progressive Slovakia movement in this year's parliamentary elections. "When I was 18, the Cikáni would only walk as far as the bridge here," Mihalčin says in the video.
"If they crossed onto the bridge, I would kick them and thrown them into the Topla River. They were always filth who had no business being in our town," he says.
In 2017 Mihalčin ran for mayor of Prešov and spoke on the public square about how to "finally solve the Romani question" in the region. "From the day I take office, we will finally solve the question of the Cikánská minority within a year and a day," he says in the footage from that campaign.
"Simply put, I will erase them from the vocabulary of the Prešov Region. There will be nothing left of the Cikánská question," Mihalčin says.
The Kotleba supporter can be seen inciting others to commit violence against Romani people and saying he believes the Roma are the same kind of "problem" as refugees. "Now that Cikán is just 200 meters away from my street and he'll be in your house in a flash, he'll take your house," Mihalčin says in the video.
Don't miss:
- Slovak court compensates illegally sterilized Romani woman after 15 years
- European Court of Human Rights finds Slovak authorities did not properly investigate police brutality against Romani boy
- PHOTO ESSAY Yet another protest against fascist party in Slovakia, Roma turned out as well
- Slovak MEP of Romani origin rebukes fellow MEPs who are Holocaust deniers
- Slovak fascist party second-strongest in polls, yet another protest forces its rally to relocate
- Slovakia: Opponents of fascist party prevent it from assembling, play Romani music
- Slovakia: Romani people protest against Fascists in the east
- Slovak President Čaputová awards Romani doctor and human rights activist with state honors
- For a third time, Slovak court acquits police of brutalizing Romani children a decade ago, prosecutor appealing
- Slovakia ahead of elections: Romani candidate suing fascists for defamation
- UK: Anti-fascists, Roma, students thwart planned meeting of Slovak fascists in London
- LIVE BROADCAST TODAY AT 19:00 CET: "Light in the Darkness" - Romani community gives awards in Slovakia
- Slovakia: Ultra-right calls for "asocials" to be sent to labor camps, police investigating
- European Parliamentary delegation plans to visit Romani settlements in Slovakia
- Slovakia: Café Európa discusses underrepresentation of Romani people in politics
- International Romani amateur boxing match won by team from Slovakia
Related articles:
- US President Biden condemns white supremacist terrorist attack in Buffalo, New York that murdered 10 people
- Czech capital to see demonstration in support of Romani refugees from Ukraine calling for dignified conditions
- Tent city in Czech capital has not solved the situation of the Romani refugees from Ukraine, hundreds at main station, few with Hungarian passports
- Czech Health Minister: Room for Romani refugees from Ukraine has to be found outside of Prague
- Czech university distances itself from e-mail alleging increased security needed for dorm because of refugees from Ukraine
- Czech Caritas branch objects to Romani political party's critique of aid to Romani refugees from Ukraine, party stands by its allegations
- Jarmila Balážová: Condemnation of refugee Romani children and their mothers from Ukraine is unfair when their brothers, fathers and sons are fighting back at home!
- Prague Mayor tells Czech Govt that if refugees are not redistributed elsewhere in the country by Tuesday, he will close the assistance center
- VIDEO: Tents for Romani refugees from Ukraine were erected in the Czech capital in the Troja neighborhood
- Mayor of Prague says if the Czech state does not systematize the distribution of refugees it will close its aid center, tent city supposedly being built
- Commentary: Arrogant behavior of Czech Railways staff toward Romani refugees from Ukraine and absurd police proposals
- Romani nonprofits and civil society members of the Czech Govt Council on Roma Minority Affairs call on PM to hold a crisis meeting with them about aid to Romani Ukrainian refugees