The recent murder of two people at a gay bar in Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, is the “culmination of long-term attacks on the LGBTIQ community”, according to a friend of the victims.
Two weeks ago, a 19-year-old man shot two people dead outside Tepláreň, one of the few LGBTIQ bars in Bratislava. The victims were Matúš Horváth, aged 23, a bisexual man, and 26-year-old Juraj Vankulič, who identified as non-binary. A third person was injured but survived.
The 12 October killing sparked a wave of shock and solidarity, including a march in the capital, two days later, in which up to 20,000 people gathered to honour the memory of the two victims.
