Wednesday’s public discussion of the strategic document on wind energy in Bratislava ended in fiasco and had to be terminated prematurelyinformed the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic on .
The event from the workshop of the Ministry of Economy was disrupted by opponents of the construction, whose behavior, according to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, made a substantive discussion impossible. Instead of a constructive debate, there were organized activities and chanting, which, according to the organizers, threatened public order and the safety of those present, which necessitated the immediate suspension of the event.
The limited capacity of the hall contributed to the aggravation of the situation, due to which dozens of people remained standing in front of the building. At the call of the crowd, Štefan Harabin also spoke, who suggested canceling the meeting and moving it to larger premises. According to witnesses from the scene, there were also bizarre statements in the crowd – for example, one of the protesters claimed that the wind turbines are actually “giant fans” that deliberately blow Saharan dust and heat into Slovakia. writes .
Official opinion of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic for the Recovery Plan and the Knowledge Economy supports the decision to suspend today’s public discussion of the draft strategic document on wind energy in Bratislava for security reasons.
Public hearing, which was organized by the Ministry of the Economy of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic for the Recovery Plan and the Knowledge Economy in accordance with § 11 of Act no. 24/2006 Coll. on environmental impact assessment, it was supposed to serve for the professional presentation of the proposal and the collection of comments from the public. Instead of a substantive discussion, however, its course was disrupted by organized activities, which prevented the proper continuation of the event and created a situation threatening its safe progress.
We consider the organizer’s decision to interrupt the event to be a responsible step in the interest of protecting participants and maintaining public order. At the same time, we perceive that the right of other citizens to obtain information and to participate in the process of public discussion established by law was limited by such action.
We respect the right of every citizen to express his opinion, including critical attitudes. However, democratic debate must take place in a way that allows all points of view to be heard, respects the rules of public process and does not prevent others from exercising their rights. The safety of the participants and the preservation of the space for professional, objective and cultured dialogue remain the priority of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of the Economy of the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic.
