Slovaks protest against patriotic education law

About a thousand Slovaks marched through the capital to protest against a new law aimed at promoting the national symbols in schools.

BRATISLAVA, March 10, 2010 (AFP) - About a thousand Slovaks, mostly students and teachers, marched through the capital Bratislava Wednesday to protest against a new law aimed at promoting the national flag, anthem and symbols in schools.

Last week, the Slovak parliament adopted a law which obliges state primary and secondary schools as well as universities to sing the national anthem at the beginning of every school week starting in April.

The law sparked wide public dismay in the ex-communist country after the far-right Slovak National Party, a junior coalition member, pushed for the reform ahead of a June 12 general election.

More than a thousand people ranging in age from 12 to 60 sang the national anthem in front of the presidential palace in the Bratislava city centre in protest at the compulsory patriotic education.

"We don't need a law to be patriots," read their banners.

"All people, not only children, should be more patriotic," Rafael Rafaj, a lawmaker for the Slovak National Party, said recently in defence of the law, pointing out that many children do not know the Slovak anthem.

About 40 supporters of the new patriotic education law also rallied in central Bratislava Wednesday carrying flags and banners, police said.

Under the law, every class will also have to display state symbols, the national flag, anthem lyrics and the constitution's preamble and other types of "patriotic education" will become part of the curriculum.

If signed by the president, the new law would also require public television, government, national and regional parliaments to play the anthem before every meeting and new civil servants to take an oath of allegiance to the state.

An original draft of the law also included plans for 15-year-olds to take an oath of loyalty to the state when they receive their first identification papers, but the measure was later dropped.

The Slovak National Party, part of the coalition government since 2006, is known for its antipathy towards minorities.

An ex-communist central European nation of 5.4 million, Slovakia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.