Cultural Strike to Continue with Protests in Coming Weeks

Bratislava, December 10 (TASR) - The Cultural Strike movement will continue to hold protest activities in the coming weeks, Katarina Misikova, a member of the Open Culture platform and the Cultural Strike committee, told a press briefing on Tuesday. "It was a unanimous decision of the participants of a meeting of the cultural community that took place in Zilina on Monday (December 9)," said Misikova, adding that at this meeting the Open Culture platform was given a mandate to continue coordinating the activities of the Cultural Strike in protest against political and power interference in culture by the current management of the Culture Ministry under the leadership of Martina Simkovicova (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee). Misikova also declared that the Cultural Strike still demands the ouster of the minister and of general secretary of the ministry's service office Lukas Machala. "As part of the long-term goal of the Cultural Strike movement, we'll strive to bring issues of the defence of culture to the awareness of the general public," she added. Her colleagues at the briefing reported on the culmination of a protest action called Slovak Cultural Torch, which began in Humenne (Presov region) on April 17. A symbolic torch for the future of Slovak culture is being carried from the east of the country to Bratislava. The event will culminate in the capital on Thursday (December 12) with a protest march, which will end with a concert on Freedom Square. am/df