The Skinhead International: Slovakia
Numbering a few hundred, the Slovak Skinheads have attacked
Gypsies (Roma), ethnic Hungarians, Jews, guest workers and
those whose political views they abhor. Physical attacks
attributed to Skinheads have taken place in Bratislava,
Trnvava, Kosice, Presov, and Skalica.
In the wake of the collapse of communisim and the breakup of
Czechoslovakia, segments of the Slovak population have sought
scapegoats for their current difficult times. There has been
some public support for Skinhead attacks against foreigners
and Gypsies, groups commonly blamed for many of the country's
problems. The police themselves have been accused of failing
to respond adequately to Skinhead attacks against members of
the substantial Roma community.
Skinheads have vandalized Jewish cemetaries and synagogues,
and they have held occasional public rallies replete with the
chanting of anti-Semitic slogans. Further, Skins have attacked
participants at rallies and concerts against fascism.
As elsewhere, Slovakia's Skinheads are divided into two
groups: (1) hard-core racists who follow the Skinhead
lifestyle, and (2) sympathizers (particularly football
hooligans) who follow Skinhead fashions, share some of the
Skins' views and have a similar taste for violence.
There is at least one Slovak Skinhead band: Kratky Proces
(Short Process), whose first LP was highly praised by the
British skinzine Last Chance. (Anti-Defamation League,
63-64)
Anti-Defamation League. The Skinhead International: A Worldwide
Survey of Neo-Nazi Skinheads. New York: Anti-Defamation League,
1995. Anti-Defamation League, 823 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY
10017.
Disclaimer: not all skinheads are neo-nazis or white
supremacists. There are many skinheads who are non- or anti-racist, and
who come from a variety of different religious and cultural backgrounds.
Nizkor recognizes their achievements in anti-racism: they are part of
the traditional, non-racist skinhead subculture and are not the
perpetrators of the hate crimes discussed here.
Unless otherwise specified, the word "skinhead" within these pages
refers only to neo-Nazi and white supremacist skinheads, the
perpetrators of hate crimes and participants in racist organizations.
We cannot edit the body of the text above, because it was not written by
Nizkor, and to change the wording would be fraudulent. Please keep in
mind that not all skinheads are racist.
The
original plaintext version
of this file is available via
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