Slovakian lawmakers condemn hatred after men killed in gay bar attack

Slovakian politicians joined in the nation’s condemnation of hatred and prejudice on Thursday, a day after a man killed two men and seriously injured a waitress near a popular gay pub in Bratislava’s city centre.

Investigators have identified the alleged perpetrator, who is dead, police said in a Facebook post after the late Wednesday shootings.

The two men, both aged 30, were killed in front of a pub which is popular among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) community. The pub describes itself as a “lovely gay bar in Bratislava centre.”

The shooter confessed to the crime online before presumably killing himself, Sme.sk news site reported. The 19-year-old posted hate messages about sexual minorities and a sort of manifesto that contained homophobic and neo-Nazi sentiments on Twitter and another network, the report said.

The posts expressed admiration for other far-right murderers as role models. In the shootings, the man appeared to have used the pistol of his father, who reportedly ran for a minor right-wing populist party at some point in the past.

By morning, the two accounts were no longer accessible. Police were not initially willing to confirm the two accounts belonged to the man, or that he was the source of the hate speech, saying investigations are ongoing.

However, Slovakian lawmakers and reporters roundly condemned the killings that they attributed to a hatred of sexual minorities.

“The long-term hatred against a minority, also fuelled by stupid and irresponsible statements by politicians,” has cost innocent people their lives, President Zuzana Caputova wrote in a Facebook post.

Prime Minister Eduard Heger told journalists that it was “unacceptable that anyone has to fear for their lives because of their way of life.”

He said social media users should think carefully about their choice of words before writing posts.

Many people laid flowers and lit candles at the scene of the crime while the University of Bratislava, where one of the victims had studied, opened a book of condolences. The Ministry of Education hoisted a black flag.