The article describes the author's transformation from a passive observer of politics in Czechoslovakia's totalitarian past to an active defender of democracy against rising extremism in Slovakia. The catalyst for this change was the election of Marian Kotleba, a neo-Nazi politician, as regional governor in 2013. This event spurred the author and like-minded individuals to form a grassroots movement dedicated to promoting democratic values and opposing Kotleba's party. Despite numerous challenges, this movement has mobilized citizens to protect their freedoms and resist a return to authoritarianism.
Back then, when I was a young social anthropology academic at our local university, activism was far from my mind. But everything changed for me in 2013 when Marian Kotleba, leader of the neo-Nazi People's Party Our Slovakia, was elected as regional governor.
Our goal was not to oppose a democratically elected candidate but to cultivate democratic awareness throughout the region and Slovakia. Not to talk but to do.
A few hundred volunteers, with no prior activism experience, were driven by the passion to defend our freedoms and ensure Slovakia never returned to its history of Nazi or communist tyranny.
The struggle was long and often discouraging. In 2016, Kotleba's party gained seats in the national parliament, emboldening his supporters.
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