On March 14, 2015, the wartime Slovak Republic, an ally of Nazi Germany, was commemorated by extremist nationalist groups during the annual “For Independent Slovakia” march. In previous years, the event had witnessed violent clashes between the extremist groups and anti-fascist activists. However, this year, marking the 76th anniversary of the establishment of the Slovak state, police intervention successfully prevented clashes by diverting the nationalists to a different location...
The New Nationalism at the Heart of Europe is a large photo and video-art project, in which Tomáš Rafa maps the public manifestations of nationalism, extreme right, racism and lack of tolerance in different countries. Since 2009, the artist documents meetings of radical and revolutionary groups, but also the anti-government and anti-extremist demonstrations, marches and supporting events for the rights of the minorities or clashes of anti-Fascists with supporters of ultra right movements. read more
On November 11th, 2012, Poland celebrated its Independence Day, but the celebrations were overshadowed by a controversial march known as the Marsz Niepodleglosci (March of Independence). The march was organized by far-right groups, and it attracted thousands of participants, many of whom espoused nationalist and anti-Semitic views. The march began peacefully, with participants carrying Polish flags and chanting slogans in support of their country. However, as the march progressed, tensions...
Berlin Wedding, Germany, 30th April 2012 7,000 police officers were deployed on Monday and Tuesday to keep the demonstrations under control. Traditionally, the violent “anticapitalist Walpurgis Night demo” has passed through Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg. This time, it was unexpectedly relocated to the Sprengelkiez and Brüsseler Kiez in Wedding, an area between the Wedding S-Bahn station, the northern shore of the Berlin-Spandauer Shipping Canal, and See- and Müllerstraße. This...
Thousands of refugees have crossed from Serbia into Croatia after being stranded in deteriorating conditions for days. The United Nations refugee agency estimates that 2,000 to 3,000 people were allowed to enter Croatia, which will likely increase the strain on neighboring Slovenia. The situation has worsened as Turkey insists it should not be expected to turn into a “concentration camp” for refugees, even if it tightens its borders. Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu...
On 11 November 2013, Warsaw once again witnessed the Marsz Niepodległości (Independence March), one of Europe’s largest far-right gatherings. Under the slogan Idzie nowe pokolenie! (“A new generation is coming!”), the organisers—Młodzież Wszechpolska and ONR—presented the event as the symbolic rise of a renewed nationalist youth. Tens of thousands joined the march, filling the city centre with Polish flags, flares and chants calling for national sovereignty and cultural purity. Although framed...
LGBTIQA+, Slovakia
V97: After the fire in the building of the cultural center Stanica Žilina Záriečie
On September 15, 2019, a fire broke out in the iconic Stanica Žilina-Záriečie, a renowned cultural center located in the Záriečie district of Žilina, Slovakia. Known for its innovative programming and contributions to the cultural landscape, the venue suffered significant damage, leaving the local community and Slovakia’s cultural scene in mourning. Incident Overview The fire started in the early hours of the morning, engulfing parts of the building and causing extensive damage to the...
In the summer of 2015, the area surrounding Budapest’s Keleti Railway Station became an unexpected and harrowing epicenter of the European refugee crisis. Thousands of refugees, primarily from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, found themselves stranded at Keleti Station Square, transforming the area into a makeshift camp and a vivid illustration of the human toll of war and displacement. As the number of refugees arriving in Budapest surged, the Hungarian government decided to suspend all...
Legida, short for “Leipzig gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes” is a German right-wing populist movement that emerged as an offshoot of the more prominent Pegida movement. Legida, which is centered in the eastern city of Leipzig, was established in early 2015 and has been organizing weekly demonstrations since then. Like Pegida, Legida’s stated aim is to protest against what it sees as the Islamization of Germany and the perceived failure of the German government to...
Mühleberg (Switzerland), 4.9.2011. Sie führte 12 Männer und 14 Frauen weg, die beim Wasserkraftwerk die Strasse Richtung AKW versperrt hatten. Die Teilnehmenden leisteten beim Polizei-Einsatz nach übereinstimmenden Berichten von Aktivisten und Polizei keinen Widerstand. Die Aktivisten wurden nach einer Befragung wieder auf freien Fuss gesetzt. Sie werden verzeigt wegen Störung des öffentlichen Verkehrs, Ungehorsams gegen eine amtliche Verfügung und wegen Störung von Betrieben, die der...
On March 27, 2024, Kunsthalle Bratislava hosted a poignant farewell event, marking the end of its existence as an independent institution.This closure resulted from a directive by the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic to merge Kunsthalle Bratislava with the Slovak National Gallery (SNG), effective April 1, 2024. The decision to dissolve Kunsthalle Bratislava was announced in early 2024. On January 16, 2024, the institution’s director, Jen Kratochvil, resigned following the...
On November 11th, 2014, Poland celebrated its Independence Day, but the day was marred by violence during the Marsz Niepodleglosci (March of Independence) organized by far-right groups. Tens of thousands of participants marched through the streets of Warsaw to mark the anniversary of Polish independence, but a group of several hundred masked men broke away from the main march and threw stones and flares at lines of riot police. The police responded by using water cannons and rubber bullets to...
The Medyka-Shehyni border crossing has become emblematic of the humanitarian and racial complexities that emerged in the early days of the war in Ukraine. While Poland opened its borders to millions of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion in February 2022, the initial wave of solidarity revealed underlying racial biases and inequities in the treatment of refugees. The Humanitarian Divide During the first days of the conflict, images of long lines at the Medyka crossing were broadcast...