The police intervention at the Gorilla Protest in Bratislava on March 9, one day before the general election, is set to be investigated by the Office of the General Prosecutor after 172 citizens submitted complaints over the matter, the Gorilla Protest Civil Movement announced on Tuesday, April 10. The civil movement claims that the police “were misused against defenceless people” in what it says was an “unlawful and brutal intervention”.
The incident took place when protesters were marching towards the parliament, where riot police were waiting. The police accompanied the protesters, and according to the Interior Ministry, the police intervention was justified and appropriate as protesters were throwing cobblestones against police officers. However, the civil movement claims that the rally was peaceful, and video recordings and pictures from the scene support their claim.
