Thousands rally across Slovakia to condemn changes proposed by prime minister

People take part in a protest in Bratislava on Thursday (Jaroslav Novak/TASR via AP)

Thousands of people rallied across Slovakia as protests intensified against a plan by the new government of populist prime minister Robert Fico to amend the country’s penal code.

The protests came hours after President Zuzana Caputova voiced her strong opposition to the changes, saying they could jeopardise the rule of law.