Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has launched a scathing attack on the Party of European Socialists (PES) after it voted to permanently expel his Smer party. The PM unsophisticatedly declared the group should now be known as “the party of European homosexuals and warmongers.”
In a video message recorded on Sunday, October 19th, Fico accused the PES of having “completely abandoned traditional left-wing values” and claimed that Smer’s expulsion was primarily due to Slovakia’s recent constitutional amendment affirming the recognition of only two sexes and placing Slovak law above European Union legislation in matters of national identity.
He expressed disbelief that his participation in Moscow and Beijing ceremonies marking the victory over fascism was also criticised, and argued that his differing views on the war in Ukraine also contributed to his party’s exclusion.
“The Party of European Socialists should rather be called the party of European homosexuals and warmongers,” Fico declared, insisting that “PES would even support marriages between cats.”
Fico’s remarks came two days after the Socialist party’s congress in Amsterdam voted unanimously to expel Smer. PES Secretary-General Giacomo Filibeck said the decision reflected Smer’s “political positioning that contradicts severely and deeply the values and the principles our family stands for.”
“The message is clear: if you belong to the PES family, you share the same values we all do,” Filibeck told delegates.
The expulsion, while expected, marks a deepening rift between Western European socialists and Fico’s government, which has pursued a staunchly anti-war, pro-peace, and anti-LGBT agenda since returning to power in 2023.
Smer’s positions on migration, family, and national sovereignty have long been at odds with Brussels’ progressive mainstream.
Fico responded that he regarded the expulsion as “a badge of honour.”
If they want to punish us because we have defined marriage as a unique union between a man and a woman, that we said there are only two sexes and that we said that in these issues our law takes precedence over European law, if that’s why we have to be expelled, then it’s an honour for us.
Juraj Gedra, head of the Slovak Government Office, celebrated the decision, writing on social media that Smer was now “finally free,” calling it “our victory and their shame.”
Anticipating the move, Fico instructed his MEPs to find a new political home in the European Parliament. Smer MEP Monika Beňová confirmed that “we have an offer from Patriots for Europe, which I prefer.”
With PES now firmly distancing itself from Smer, Fico’s government appears determined to forge stronger ties with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and other like-minded leaders who challenge Brussels’ liberal orthodoxy and advocate peace, sovereignty, and the defence of traditional values.
