Simon Omanik, a 19-year-old student at a secondary school in Bratislava, refused to shake hands with the President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini. He later explained his gesture as a lack of agreement with the views the politician promoted during the campaign. The head of state did not react to the student's gesture.
Peter Pellegrini met on Monday with a group of 35 high school students who won gold, silver and bronze medals in international subject Olympiads. Simon Omanik was among those honored. The 19-year-old was awarded bronze in the Central European Mathematical Olympiad.
The prize distribution plan assumed that each student would approach the Minister of Education, Tomasz Drucker, receive the award from him and shake his hand, move towards the president and repeat this gesture, and finally take a photo in the company of both politicians.
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The 19-year-old refused to shake the president's hand
Omanik, dressed in a suit with a bow in the colors of the Ukrainian flag attached to it, exchanged a handshake with Minister Drucker, but when it was the turn to repeat this gesture towards Pellegrini, he made it clear with a decisive wave of his hand that he did not intend to do so. The president, who extended his hand to him, did not react to this behavior and posed for a photo with the 19-year-old.
When asked about the reasons for his behavior, Omanik later revealed that it was his political manifestation. “I have a personal, political problem with President Pellegrini,” the 19-year-old said in an interview with the “Dennik N” newspaper. The student accused the politician of repeating “populist slogans” during the campaign and spreading “anti-Ukrainian sentiments.”
According to local media reports, the students' visit to the Presidential Palace and meeting with Pellegrini was included in the program at the last minute. Originally, only Minister Drucker was supposed to meet with the Olympic winners. Journalists also remind that this is not the only situation of this type that has occurred recently. On Sunday, the famous actress Zdena Studenkova refused to accept a high state award from Pellegrini. She justified her decision with the changes implemented by the government in the field of culture.
Peter Pellegrini Jaroslav Ozana/CTK/PAP
Main photo source: TOMS KALNINS/EPA/PAP