"Scrawled in chalk on the pavement near a secondary school in eastern Slovakia, the messages were short and to the point: Enough Fico, read one, echoing a popular anti-government slogan, while the other joked about the Slovakian prime minister providing sexual favours to Vladimir Putin. Appearing hours before the prime minister, Robert Fico, was due to speak at the school, the messages struck a nerve."
"For years, he had watched Fico, now in his fourth term, embrace a pro-Russian stance that sought to normalise relations with Moscow while challenging the EU's policies over Ukraine. To Muro, who asked that his last name not be published, chalk messaging seemed a harmless way to express his exasperation with the government. In his eyes, it had done too little to address corruption and the soaring cost of living,"
"Reaction to his chalk messages was swift. Fico postponed his visit, which was funny because, damn, I would not want to be someone who is afraid of a chalk message, said Muro. Police turned up at his school to bring him in for questioning. Muro', who scrawled the initial messages, addressing a protest marking the 36th anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution in Bratislava on 17 November. Photograph: Radovan Stoklasa/Reuters Hours later, when he emerged from the police station without charges"
Chalk messages appeared near a secondary school in eastern Slovakia protesting Prime Minister Robert Fico with slogans and accusations linking him to Vladimir Putin. A 19-year-old nicknamed Muro wrote the initial messages after learning of Fico's planned school visit. The graffiti quickly spread across pavements nationwide and was dubbed the Chalk Revolution or November Chalk Wave. Muro criticized the government's pro‑Russian stance, perceived inaction on corruption, rising living costs, and underinvestment in education and healthcare, which contribute to youth emigration. Authorities responded with police questioning, and Fico postponed the visit.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]