Thousands of Slovaks took to the streets on Friday as protests against the pro-Russia policies of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico spread from Slovakia's capital to towns and cities across the country and abroad. The latest wave of anti-government rallies was fueled by Fico’s unexpected trip to Moscow before Christmas to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Fico’s meeting with Putin is “unacceptable,” protest organizer Lucia Štasselová from the Peace to Ukraine’s nongovernmental organization told the crowd in Bratislava.