President: Values of November '89 Not Matter of Fact, Need to be Recalled

Bratislava, November 17 (TASR) - The values of November 17, 1989 are not the matter of fact and it's our duty to recall them, President Peter Pellegrini said in his special appearance on public-service STVR on Saturday (November 16) evening, adding that these are freedom, democracy, the rejection of violence, the efforts for reconciliation of society and the natural desire for a better life. The president called for an end to the spread of hatred in this connection. "If there was something we were jointly and resolutely rejecting on the November squares, it was violence. However, what is the Slovak reality today? More and more aggressive verbal violence, which still more poisons the political and social discussion, spreading to every area of human life through social networks and media. Unfortunately, it is also real physical violence with a political background that we haven't experienced for 35 years of our democratic life," he said. In this connection, the head of the state pointed to the assassination attempt on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in Handlova (Trencin region). He criticized the fact that the political and civic scenes live after the incident as if nothing had happened. "Therefore, I strongly remind you on this day of the fact that if we don't stop the spread of hatred, it can become one of the biggest threats to what we won in November 1989 in a non-violent and peaceful manner," he noted. Pellegrini in his speech criticised the government for not organising any official celebrations to mark this holiday. "Just like the arrival of Saints Constantine and Methodius, the Slovak National Uprising or the Dukla operation, November 17 meant a fundamental change in our lives," he said. In addition to the government, the president also criticised the opposition. According to him, both of them resigned to reminding people of the importance of the Velvet Revolution for the entire Slovakia. ko