Thousands of Slovenians on bicycles on Friday blocked the center of the capital, Ljubljana, in a protest accusing the government of using the COVID-19 pandemic to increase police power and tighten control of some media.
“Wake up” and “Slovenia is not Hungary,” read some of the banners carried by bikers shouting “thieves” in front of the EU country’s parliament.
For the sixth week in a row, thousands of people in Ljubljana and other cities rode their bikes on Friday evening in support of the protest organized by civil society groups that also accuse the government of corruption.
Photo: AFP
“The resignation of [Slovenian Prime Minister] Janez Jansa is only a first step,” Tjasa Prosek, one of the organizers, said, adding that the action would continue and gradually put forward more demands.
The protest has been backed by political parties and intellectuals, including Slovenian poet Boris Novak, who on Friday told the crowd that they represented “the only hope for our country’s future.”
“Freedom is currently at stake in Slovenia,” Novak said, adding that Jansa’s “ideal of democracy is that of [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orban’s Hungary or Poland.”
Shortly after taking over the government in March, Jansa’s four-party coalition imposed strict measures in a bid to control the virus’ spread, including a two-month lockdown, closing the borders and banning travel.
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