Finding a stick to hit with

The left-liberal daily Népszabadság discerns domestic policy reasons behind the refusal to allow Hungary's president to enter Slovakia: "According to an old Slovak proverb he who wants to hit will always find a stick. This is what has happened with the high Slovak functionaries and other Slovak politicians in Bratislava. In the Slovak-Hungarian border city of Komárno they talked of a deliberate provocation in connection with the unveiling of a statue of Saint Stephen (the first Hungarian King and founder of the state of Hungary). Some Slovak politicians went as far as to conjure up the spectre of irredentism [with the reunification of all Hungarians]. … The nationalism of Slovak politicians is on the one hand historically motivated and on the other it is motivated by domestic policy. Because of the growing number of corruption scandals in Slovakia and the negative impact of the economic crisis they hope to divert the attention of the public from these problems. The anti-Hungarian campaign has been a trump card in this respect. And this latest incident was no exception."

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