Slovak Interior Minister recommends cancelling festival in Romani settlement
The local council of Moldava nad Bodvou has decided to cancel the "Moldava spolu" ("Moldava Together") festival that was supposed to be held next weekend in the nearby Romani settlement of Budulovská, where a brutal police intervention happened a year ago. The council session during which that decision was made was not open to the public.
News server Romovia.sme.sk reports that the town would not permit festival organizers from the ETP group to address the session. The reason giving for banning the festival, a decision that was supported last Friday by the Slovak Interior Ministry, is allegedly the security situation.
"I’m not so afraid about our residents, but about people who will come from the surrounding area," said Mayor István Zachariaš (Party of the Hungarian Community). Romovia.sme.sk reports that he took the decision solely on the recommendation of police who are concerned that neither ambulances nor firefighters would be able to access the site of the festival if needed.
"The access road to the settlement is narrow, it’s the only way in, and it’s unpaved. It doesn’t meet the requirements for the safe arrival of rescue services," Slovak Interior Minister Peter Lazarov said.
Michal Kaščák, an organizer of the festival, responded to politicians’ statements that the event would be unsafe by telling Romovia.sme.sk that "We would never hold an event there that we considered dangerous." He believes the justification of the ban is absurd, adding that "There has already been one police raid there and that car made it into the settlement without any problems."
Matúš Vallo, a member of the Para music group, who were supposed to perform at the festival, was outraged by the local representatives’ rejection of the event. "It’s evident that when it comes to the Romani issue a fringe initiative like a festival is currently unacceptable for some local politicians," he said, "and I have never before experienced the police, who are paid with our money to oversee all those neo-Nazi marches, banning a cultural event like this."
On the other hand, a staffer with the Cultural Center in the Bodvy and Rudohoří Valley said she agreed with the cancellation of the festival. She told Romovia.sme.sk the Roma should be content with one of the town’s official days in June for their cultural activities.
The festival had been properly announced to authorities since May. Both non-Romani and Romani music groups and a theater performance had been scheduled.
