Droba: Grosslingova School Faces Hateful Attacks over Handshake Refusal

Bratislava, January 15 (TASR) - Students and employees of the Grosslingova secondary grammar school in Bratislava, where the student who refused to shake hands with President Peter Pellegrini comes from, are facing hateful attacks, which according to Bratislava Regional Governor Juraj Droba are absolutely "beyond the line" and urged people to stop such attacks. The gesture of not shaking the hand, according to Droba, caused a media frenzy that spiralled out of control. "As a result, the county secondary grammar school has been a target of hate speech, threats and even physical assaults for several days now. I urge the aggressors to stop immediately and let the students, teachers and other employees be," he stressed. Droba also said that adults should understand that it's not up to them to judge whether the student's actions were right or wrong. He noted that while both sides refer to freedom and democracy, the essence of democracy lies in respecting differing views. The only one who has the right to comment on this, Droba said, is the president. "Who himself stated he respects the student's gesture and urged us not to make an issue of it," Droba added. Pellegrini and Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) gave awards to students who won international competitions on Monday (January 13). The student refused to shake hands with the President, as he believed that Pellegrini had employed fearmongering and lies during the 2023 presidential election campaign with respect to the war in Ukraine. lin/mcs