Social divisions and hostile rhetoric in Slovakia provide fertile ground for political violence

When a gunman shot Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico this week, shock rippled across the Central European country — even though the pro-Russia leader himself warned that the country was so divided that an assassination attempt was possible. Slovaks have long been divided over the path their nation should take; should it retain traditional ways and a friendly relationship with Moscow or embrace liberal values and press ever closer to the West. But recently that polarization over the country’s future, fueled by vitriolic rhetoric from politicians, has deepened. The country has been beset by large protests deriding Fico’s policies since he returned to power in September, after campaigning on a nationalist and EU-skeptic platform.