Kotleba – People's Party Our Slovakia

Maslen's parents, both 30 years old, were among 64 people killed by Nazi soldiers on a freezing Sunday morning in January 1945, a warning to others of the fate that awaited them should they be brave enough to aid the anti-fascist partisans of the Slovak National Uprising.

The youngest victim was 14 months old, a boy shot dead in the arms of his 11-year-old sister.

In one camp are those who take the battle to the streets, organising noisy protests and engaging in direct action. This is the traditional "Antifa" model favoured by more militant campaigners.

But while Slovak police have set up a Facebook page to debunk hoaxes and civil society organisations try to explain the dangers of information wars and widespread media illiteracy, some social media users are taking matters into their own hands.

Some days Adrian Lachata ponders how life would have turned out if he had never left Svidnik.

The 32-year-old engineer would not have graduated from the most prestigious technical faculty in the Czech Republic, where he has lived for the past 11 years since moving from the industrial town in Slovakia's northeast where he grew up.

But it speaks also to the growth in popularity of right-wing populists, and an emerging battle for young voters.

'New trend'

Slovakia appeared to strike a powerful blow against the populist surge in Europe with the election in March of progressive political newcomer Zuzana Caputova as president.