A pre-election rally organized by far-right politician Marián Kotleba and members of his People’s Party Our Slovakia (ĽSNS) in Žilina escalated into violence on Saturday, July 11, 2015. The event, staged under an anti-immigration banner, drew several hundred participants, including sympathizers from the extremist group VZDOR Kysuce and other regional branches of the Slovak radical right.
The gathering was held in Žilina’s city center as part of a series of nationalist demonstrations that spread across Slovakia during the summer of 2015, amid the European refugee crisis. Kotleba, then serving as the governor of the Banská Bystrica region, used the rallies to promote his anti-EU, anti-Roma, and anti-refugee rhetoric in the lead-up to the 2016 parliamentary elections.
During the rally, tensions rose between far-right supporters and a small group of local activists who appeared near the square to protest against extremism. One of them, Robert Mihály, was physically attacked by several participants identified as far-right sympathizers. Witnesses reported that he was beaten and kicked before police intervened and escorted him from the scene. Mihály suffered minor injuries but did not require hospitalization.
Eyewitness videos and contemporaneous reports showed Kotleba publicly naming Mihály from the stage as a “provocateur,” moments before the attack took place. His supporters, including members of VZDOR Kysuce—a local nationalist organization known for its participation in extremist demonstrations—were visible in the crowd carrying flags and banners echoing xenophobic slogans.
The police presence in Žilina was significant but mostly passive until violence erupted. Following the incident, officers detained several individuals for questioning. No major arrests were reported.
The rally in Žilina became one of several incidents that year highlighting the growing confidence of far-right movements in Slovakia. Kotleba’s party later capitalized on this visibility, entering the National Council in the 2016 elections with more than 8% of the national vote.
The attack on Robert Mihály has since been cited by civil-society organizations as an example of the intimidation faced by activists opposing extremism in public spaces. The event underscored the volatile atmosphere of Slovakia’s far-right mobilization in the mid-2010s, linking regional groups like VZDOR Kysuce to broader nationalist networks operating under Kotleba’s political umbrella.
