Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sparked a wave of controversy after a heated exchange with high-school seniors ended in a dramatic student walk-out. The incident occurred during a meeting with students in Poprad, where Fico repeated one of his frequent claims — that the European Union is supposedly preparing €140 billion “to continue the war” in Ukraine. When several students challenged the accuracy of his statement, attempting to correct him, the prime minister abruptly lost his temper. “If you’re such heroes in your black T-shirts and so strongly for this war, then go there,” he snapped, effectively telling the teenagers to go fight on the front lines. His remark came just as students were already standing up and leaving the room in protest, with one of them holding a Ukrainian flag as he walked out.
The exchange instantly became symbolic of the deepening generational and political divide within Slovakia. In recent months, Fico has adopted increasingly confrontational rhetoric about the war, often echoing narratives aligned with Moscow and portraying Western support for Ukraine as escalation. The students’ reaction — calm, deliberate and highly symbolic — revealed that many young Slovaks reject these positions outright. As they exited, some jingled their keys, reviving a traditional Slovak sign of dissent dating back to the 1989 Velvet Revolution. It was a quiet but potent reminder that youth in Slovakia have their own political voice and are willing to use it.
Fico’s handling of the situation was widely criticised by opposition politicians, teachers and commentators, who argued that a head of government should not verbally attack students for questioning political claims. The episode also highlighted a growing discomfort many Slovaks feel about the prime minister’s combative style, which increasingly turns even ordinary civic interactions — including school visits — into arenas of political confrontation. For students, the meeting became an unexpected lesson in political culture: instead of dialogue, they witnessed the state’s highest elected official directing personal insults at teenagers for expressing dissent.
The incident in Poprad has since spread across Slovak and international media, reinforcing the sense that Slovakia’s political climate is becoming more tense and polarised. It also raised broader questions about the role of young people in public life, their expectations for political accountability and their willingness to push back when confronted with misinformation or intimidation. Whether Fico intended it or not, his outburst has elevated a group of high-school seniors into a symbol of youthful defiance — and exposed just how uneasy the government is with voices it cannot control.
