Slovakia: Open racism against Romani Olympic boxer, Romani lawmaker, Romani model and others, all refused service in a bar
A boxer who was on the Olympic team for Slovakia in the Tokyo 2020 games, Viliam Tankó, has become the victim of racism at a bar in Spišská Nová Ves. He and his partner, the model Vanessa Gáborová, were refused service because of their Romani origin.
The incident took place ahead of an election rally in Markušovce held by Slovak MP Peter Pollák, Jr., who is also Romani, together with Tankó. The athlete is running for national office as a candidate with the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities movement (OĽANO).
“We left Markušovce just a moment ago and arrived in Spišská Nová Ves, and like every other day we’ve been campaigning and we wanted to spend our free time by having a coffee somewhere. We wanted to discuss how the campaign will continue in the next locations,” Slovak MP Peter Pollák, Jr. says in a video posted to Facebook about the incident.
According to Pollák, Jr. they all wanted to go to a place called New Chicago. “My colleagues Vilo Tankó, Vanesska, Lukáš Bužo, Anežka and Maťo walked in ahead of me while I was dealing with something outside. Nobody would serve them. We have an eyewitness who overheard two waiters say they wouldn’t serve such filthy gypsies,” the lawmaker says.
“Racism in Slovakia in the 21st century,” commented Tankó, adding that other customers who came in after them were served without any problem. “We just wanted to have coffee, but we were unable to. How, after this, can you tell everybody else who lives in even more segregation how they can make progress in their lives here? The system won’t allow them to.”
“I am really angry, I don’t understand why they asked us for club cards. It was absolutely clear to me that this is because we are Romani. It happened to me once already in Košice and I let it go then, but now I won’t, I don’t want this to happen to any other Romani people,” commented Vanessa Gáborová, who made it among the final 12 contestants in this year’s Miss Slovakia competition.
As a group, the rejected Romani customers confronted the bar personnel and asked why they didn’t want to serve them. The waiter rejected the idea that it was because they are Romani: “It wasn’t because of that,” he said with a smile, adding “I’m not the owner, I’m just an employee.”
Viliam Tankó has represented Slovakia at many international tournaments. In 2015 he won a bronze medal at the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Two years later, he won a bronze medal at the European Championships for under-22s. In addition to boxing he is studying social services and counseling at Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra and also working; in 2021 he was given a Roma Spirit award in the individual category.
