News digest: Culture minister feels bullied, targets national theatre

Good evening. Here is theThursday, May 9 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Actor to get told off by minister over alleged line

Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (l), actor Ľuboš Kostelný (c), Slovak National Theatre Director Matej Drlička. ©TASR

She was not there, but Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (SNS nom.) was told that actor Ľuboš Kostelný had reportedly yelled “I hate Martina Simkovicu” during a performance at the national theatre.

In a May 6interview with Infovojna, a disinformation channel, she also noted that the actor portrays a gay man in the play, and she is going to find out if his alleged line is indeed part of the dialogues of the play. The minister, who cannot be described as an ally of LGBT+, declined to attend the premiere of the play earlier this year.

“I will ask the director and this particular actor, since he is paid with state money because he is employed in a state institution and plays there, whether this is in line with democracy,” the minister said.

Šimkovičová, who herself runs a pro-Russian and disinformation TV channel on social media, described Kostelný’s alleged claim as political activism and bullying.

The actor declined to comment, the theatre has said that is not aware of any incident concerning the minister. However, several actors from the national theatre have called on the minister to leave the post due to the way she has been running the ministry.

Related: “Actors are not your subordinates and you cannot summon them for their acting. You may not have noticed, but for 35 years we have not lived under a regime that controlled and banned artistic performances that did not please the communist leadership of the state,” ex-prime minister Ľudovít Ódor reminded Šimkovičová on Facebook.

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Photographer Andrej Ďuríček. ©SME - Kristína Kúdelová

In an interview with the Sme daily, photographer and journalist Andrej Ďuríček talks about his hometown, Bratislava. What bothers him about the city, if there are any impressive things to see, but also if Bratislava is beautiful are among the questions he is confronted with.

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MAY 10 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Viktória.

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