Voice-SD Won't Support SNS Bill, Rejects Softer Penalties for Extremism

Bratislava, 13 January (TASR) - The coalition Voice-SD party won't support an amendment to the Criminal Code drafted by its coalition partner the Slovak National Party, as it finds the proposal to be in direct conflict with the values on which Slovakia is founded and rejects lowering the upper limits on sentences for extremist offences, TASR learnt from Voice-SD spokesperson Michaela Eliasova on Monday. "At a time when the radicalisation of young people is increasing in Slovakia and across Europe, we can't send out a signal that society is becoming more tolerant of extremism. Our task isn't to legitimise hatred, downplay the denial of historical crimes or confuse the spreading of hatred with freedom of speech. Slovakia needs solidarity, humanity and responsibility, not the normalisation of ideologies that in the past brought suffering, fear and death. The state must stand firmly on the side of the individual and human dignity," the party declared. According to Voice-SD, the proposal contradicts the values underpinning Slovakia, such as the anti-fascist legacy of the 1944 Slovak National Uprising. "This legacy isn't a historical memory but a moral commitment - to stand up to ideologies of hatred, violence and the suppression of freedoms. Reducing penalties for extremism would weaken this commitment and relativise the boundary between democracy and evil," reads the press release. The party also stated that Slovakia stands on the Christian Cyril and Methodius tradition. "It is about respect for the individual, humanity, truth and responsibility. Extremism is a denial of these values. It isn't an expression of freedom or free expression, but a denial of everything that defines the Slovak nation, citizens of the Slovak Republic and our constitutional order," added the text. mf/df