Czech artists expressing solidarity with colleagues in Slovakia

Czech artists and well-known personalities from other spheres have published an open letter calling for solidarity with their colleagues in Slovakia who are losing their jobs due to a purge implemented by Slovak Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová. The proclamation titled “It's time to lend a hand!” was endorsed by theatre director Jiří Suchý, actor and screenwriter Zdeněk Svěrák and former constitutional judge Eliška Wagnerová, among others. In recent days, Šimkovičová has dismissed the heads of a number of respected cultural institutions, among them the head of the Slovak National Gallery and the director of the Slovak National Theatre.

The dismissed head of the Slovak National Theatre, Matej Drlička, has described the sackings as “a concerted crackdown on freedom of artistic expression and a systematic assault on state institutions on the part of the Fico government.” The opposition is planning protest actions.