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Thousands rallied in the Czech capital on Wednesday to honour two Slovak gay men shot dead this month outside a bar in Slovakia, and demanded better protection of LGBTQ people and their families. The gathering in Prague's central Wenceslas Square was held the same day the funerals of Mat Horvth and Juraj Vankulic were conducted in Slovakia. Police said they boosted their presence at the Prague rally after they detained a man who was threating to use a gun against the LGBTQ people at the square. We want to live without fear, one of the banners on display read. A terrorist intentionally killed LGBTQ people, said Czeslaw Walek, one of the organizers. Only by accident did he not kill more. Walek said some 17,000 people so far have signed a petition calling on the Czech government and Parliament to approve legislation that would give LGBTQ people the same protection that ethnic, racial and other minorities enjoy. The petition also demands that the country allows same-sex marriages. Th
Several thousand people rallied in the Slovak capital on Tuesday to protest the government amid soaring energy prices and to demand an early election. The protest was organized by the opposition leftist Smer-Social Democracy party of former populist Prime Minister Robert Fico and included supporters of other groups, including the far right. Fico blamed the coalition government led by Prime Minister Eduard Heger and President Zuzana Caputova for being partially responsible for the high inflation now hitting the EU nation, claiming that was due to their firm support of Ukraine amid the Russian invasion. Most speakers attacked the European Union's sanctions against Russia and praised Hungary for how it is dealing with the energy crisis. Hungary is heavily dependent on fossil fuels from Russia, and last year signed a 15-year agreement with Russian energy company Gazprom for the purchase of natural gas. Hungarian leader Viktor Orbn has fought vigorously against EU sanctions imposed on .