Hundreds of Romani people assembled on the square in Michalovce, Slovakia yesterday to honor the memory of Erika, a 46-year-old nurse who was murdered at the start of the year. Ultra-right politician Marián Kotleba, the chair of the "People's Party-Our Slovakia" (LSNS), had accused the entire Romani community of the murder and convened an anti-Romani gathering in the town.
Romani people then turned out for that meeting and shouted down the chair as he attempted to exploit the murder to score political points. Slovak Police have charged Valentýn H., an 18-year-old Romani man from a local settlement, with chasing Erika and stabbing her more than once.
The alleged assailant then robbed Erika of her mobile phone and wallet. He is now in custody, but the decision to charge him has yet to take effect.
“Last week it was Erika. If nothing changes, then it could be your daughter, sister, wife or mother next,” Kotleba’s Facebook advertisement of the anti-Romani gathering predicted.
Youtube:
