Slovak religious leaders call on people to reject incitement to hatred

Religious leaders in Slovakia have appealed to the public in reaction to last week's terrorist attack in New Zealand to reject incitement to hatred. "We call on all people of goodwill not to give in to hatred, which is only a step away from acts of hatred. Let's adhere to mutual discussion, respect and understanding in order to remain a society of peace and prosperity," the leaders said, calling on other Slovak figures to join their call. They said every religion can be misused by terrorists. They said growing hatred towards Muslims in Slovakia, ever more frequent anti-Semitic expressions and the fear of further violence against the Muslim and Jewish communities were also reasons why they had decided to speak out.