Former Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico was arrested on live television this week after attempting to give a statement ahead of a planned protest that would defy the country’s Wuhan virus restrictions.
The arrest of the former Prime Minister of Slovakia, who leads the left-populist Direction – Slovak Social Democracy (SMER-SD) party, came on Thursday evening as he was making an attempt to give a statement to Slovakian television cameras.
Fico commented said of his arrest: “This is what democracy on the air looks like, ladies and gentlemen. So once again, we wanted to make a peaceful passage through Bratislava and look at this situation.”
Addressing a police officer, Fico added: “Are you normal, man? How dare you talk to a Member of Parliament like that? What crime have I committed? What crime have I committed? Explain to me. You aim to stop this protest because this protest was to show how democracy is abused in Slovakia.”
According to a report from the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, the protest had been announced on Tuesday and was to protest Slovakian president Zuzana Caputova and her objection to a referendum on a possible new national election.
Protests under Slovakia’s Wuhan virus restrictions, which state that no more than six people are allowed to gather in public, are effectively illegal, although Fico claimed the rally was not in breach of restrictions as protesters would be in their cars and not gathered on the street.
Fico has been an ardent critic of the Slovakian government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and of the restrictions put in place in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.
On Friday the news service Reuters reported that following his arrest Fico could face charges of incitement, but the matter was in the hands of local prosecutors and no charges had yet been filed.
Per capita, Slovakia has seen some of the most infections and deaths in Europe from the coronavirus, with nearly 800,000 confirmed cases and over 15,000 deaths.