The Slovak Togetherness ( sk, Slovenská pospolitosť) is a
civil society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.
History
Creation
Slovenská pospolitosť was formed in 1996 to bring together sections of the local far right population and place them under the leadership of more astute
ideologues
An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied prim ...
. The group has links to the
International Third Position
International Third Position (ITP) was a neo-fascist organisation formed by the breakaway faction of the British National Front, led by Roberto Fiore, an ex-member of the Italian far-right movement Third Position.
Development
Though a key formul ...
and has posted details of its activities on their websites.
Governmental suppression
The movement has come under increasing pressure from the government of Slovakia in 2005, to the extent where the leading member Ján Kopunek has claimed that the Slovak police have been ordered to crush the group entirely. Since then,
Marian Kotleba
Marian Kotleba (; born 7 April 1977) is a Slovak politician and leader of the far-right, neo-Nazi
has been charged with hate crimes ''in absentia''. Later, Kotleba was charged for finishing one of his speeches with "
Na stráž
''Na stráž'' (English: "On guard") is a Czech and Slovak phrase sometimes associated with far-right politics in Slovakia. It has been described as "the Slovak version of ''Heil Hitler''".
During the era of the Slovak State, the phrase was used ...
!" the phrase used in the
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
Hlinka Guard Hlinka (feminine Hlinková) is a Czech and Slovak surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Andrej Hlinka, Slovak politician and Catholic priest
*Ivan Hlinka, Czech ice hockey player and coach
*Jaroslav Hlinka, Czech ice hockey player
*J ...
. After that the charges were dropped as it "couldn't be proven that the phrase itself constitutes the promotion of fascism". However the American embassy in Bratislava characterised the group's activities as "commemorating the wartime fascist state and to spread messages of intolerance against ethnic and religious minorities."
Dissolution and continuance
In 2006, Kotleba tried to transform the group into a political party (Slovak Togetherness - National Party). The party was dissolved by the Supreme Court because of its non-compliance with the Constitution (restriction of universal suffrage by replacement of the party system with
corporatism
Corporatism is a collectivist political ideology which advocates the organization of society by corporate groups, such as agricultural, labour, military, business, scientific, or guild associations, on the basis of their common interests. The ...
, with national minorities being represented into a category grouping all minorities, and have Parlement representation only if their home country had a Slovak parlementiary representation) as the first and yet only dissolved political party in the modern history of Slovakia. The group then continued to exist as a
civil society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Slovak Supreme Court overrules outlawing of extremist group Slovenská Pospolitosť /ref> /ref> but the Slovak Supreme Court reinstated the group, claiming that "the legal conditions for disbanding Slovenská Pospolitosť had not been met."
The group resumes operation unhindered.
Controversy
In August 2009 the group led a march in protest at the local Roma community during which members threw rocks and bottles at police, resulting in over 30 arrests and seven injuries.
Foreign relations
They have been associated with the
European National Front
European National Front (ENF) was a coordinating structure of European ultranationalist parties. There had been one elected MEP from ENF in the past. He was the leader of the Italian New Force, Roberto Fiore.
Three parties of the European Nati ...