Yesterday, 15 August, members of nationalist party SNS and sympathisers gathered in Ruzomberok to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of A. Hlinka’s death, reported TASR. At the meeting, which was attended by a few dozen people, SNS party chairman Jan Slota said: “Today, the legacy of A Hlinka is more important than ever, especially in light of what has been happening recently in Slovakia. We are threatening to tear down the statue of Slovak king Svatopluk, and getting rid of everything that is national in Slovak society”.
“With huge respect I bow to the man who dedicated his whole life to the nation, despite being persecuted and imprisoned many times. Without a doubt, this was one of the greatest men ever born under the Tatras” he declared.
His party colleague, SNS vice-chair Anna Belousovova also gave a speech. “SNS stands proud as the only political party to honour the inspirational giants of our nation not just during election campaigns,” she said. They laid a wreath at the Hlinka statue.
Hlinka’s radical Slovak People’s Party set up the Hlinka Guard, the paramilitary arm for internal security, and it continued in that role under the autonomous government of Slovakia in federated Czecho-Slovakia. The Hlinka Guard were Slovakia’s state police and were said to be most willing in helping Hitler with his plans. In 1942, the Hlinka Guard headed deportations of Slovak Jews to the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. Deportation of the Jews by Hlinka Guards lead to confiscation of Jewish property (Arizácia majetku) while distributing that property to individual members of the Hlinka Guards.