Thousands of people demonstrated across Slovakia on Sunday evening, primarily in the capital Bratislava, where estimates of participants ranged from 17,000 to 18,000. The protests, called by opposition parties, commemorated the 35th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution that ended the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Critics accuse the current government led by Prime Minister Robert Fico of authoritarian tendencies, prompting calls for citizens to defend their freedoms and democracy.