MP Luptak Physically Assaulted in Turcianske Teplice

Turcianske Teplice/Bratislava, July 19 (TASR) - Lawmaker Pavol Luptak (SNS caucus) was physically assaulted in the district of Turcianske Teplice (Zilina region) on Thursday (July 18), the police confirmed for TASR on Friday. "The suspect was apprehended shortly after the attack and put in a holding cell," said Zilina regional police spokesperson Zuzana Sefcikova. A police investigator has launched a criminal prosecution against the suspect concerning home invasion and battery. "More details cannot be released at this point," added Sefcikova. Dusan Striz, secretary of the National Coalition/Independent Candidates party, which ran in the 2023 election on the slate of SNS and with which Luptak is politically affiliated, detailed that the attack occurred on Thursday afternoon on Luptak's property near his home. The extent of his injuries will be announced after he has been treated by a doctor. "The political polarisation, extremism and hatred that has been stirred up here in recent years have become a commonplace part of public discourse. Hatred and fear are systematically misused to manipulate the masses, which leads to radicalisation and social disintegration," claimed Striz. In Striz's view, there's a need to realise the danger of the path that Slovakia has taken and to start placing focus on what unites the nation rather than what divides it. "Violence will always remain violence, regardless of the motive," he underlined. mf/df