A prominent member of the Social Democrats party (SD), Dr Brigita Skela Savič, publicly called for people to join the (illegal) protest, which is scheduled for Friday, the 12th of November, despite a temporary ban on gatherings in public areas. Given that the situation in Slovenia is still really bad and we are breaking records in numbers of daily new infections, Twitter users are appalled by the SD party’s calls. “When a nurse calls people to the streets during an epidemic… It is time to take away her license and the position of head of school,” “A slap in the face of all of us who work with Covid. I am speechless,” infectious disease specialist Federico V. Potočnik responded to Savič’s appeal.
However, Dr Brigita Skela Savič, who has a PhD in healthcare management, was not the only member of the SD party who called for people to come to the protest. Sd MP Marko Koprivc also publicly shared the announcement of the Protest People’s Assembly with the same content as his party colleague. Apparently, this is an organised rally with the Social Democrats in the background – similar to so many other cases of unreported protests.
Prime Minister Janez Janša also condemned the tweet. He said that it would be better if Skela Savič called for people to get vaccinated instead of going to the protest. Namely, he wrote: “If the decision to get vaccinated against Covid-19 is really related to supporting the current government, then I need to thank Marjan Šarec, Alenka Bratušek, Luka Mesec, and Tanja Fajon (all leaders of the left-wing opposition parties), as they have all been fully vaccinated. However, it would be right and useful if they also invited their supporters to get vaccinated instead of protesting.”
We are publishing some other sharp responses from Twitter below.
Infectious disease specialist Federico V. Potočnik wrote: “According to the Ordinance on Temporary Measures for the Prevention and Control of Infections with the Infectious Disease Covid-19, gathering in public areas has been temporarily prohibited. However, article 16 stipulates that gathering is allowed if the organiser of the public event checks whether the participants of the gathering all have the RVT condition (recovered, vaccinated, tested). Sufficient distance of at least one and a half meters between individual protesters must also be ensured, and the wearing of protective masks is mandatory. This tweet, calling to the protests, is a slap in the face of all of us who work with Covid. I am speechless.”
Communication expert Edvard Kadič wrote: “The SD party has seriously lost its way. Support for the party is facing a freefall.”
Professor Miro Haček wrote: “When extremism becomes a shortcut to the career advancement up the intra-party ladder. Why would anyone bother with hard work when it is so much easier to be… an extremist?”
SDS MP Jelka Godec wrote: “Dear Ms Skela Savič, you should start calling for adherence to the measures prepared by the government, Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Public Health; start calling for help for the healthcare workers in the Maribor University Medical Centre, Ljubljana University Medical Centre, Celje General Hospital, Novo mesto General Hosptial, and others. How can you even be a professor for future nurses?!
Kranj city councillor from the NSi party, Bine Traven, wrote: “Whoever signed off on your PhD should return their licence – and you should, too.”
Nova24TV journalist Luka Svetina wrote: “And then we will have to listen to the accusations again: Janez Janša is at fault. Jelko Kacin is at fault. Edvard Kadič is at fault. Krek is at fault. I have no words for this selfishness and lack of emotional intelligence. What happened to us?”
Roman Vodeb wrote: “Another glaring case where a woman has no sense of moral judgment – read: a weak Superego. Belonging to the parent party (the left-wing SD) means more to her than care for the health of the nation. To a normal man – who is not fanatically blinded by politics – something like that cannot happen.”
Nejc Brene wrote: “If Skela Savič had at least an ounce of respect for her students and medical colleagues, she would have called for vaccination, rather than protests in the midst of an epidemiological crisis. But in the SD party, they put their party and the fight for power above everything else. Even at the cost of human lives.”
Member of the SDS party Davorin Kopše wrote: “Protests pose a risk for infections where the elderly are most at risk. Hypocritical Skela Savič from the hypocritical SD party.”
Robert Hrovat wrote: “It is appalling that at the time of the worst covid wave, a professor who educates future nurses is inviting people to a gathering. The SS comrade has a doctorate in nursing and is well aware of what this invitation means. Life really is not sacred for the leftists. They will do anything they can to regain power. You should be ashamed of yourself, Brigita.”
And Dr Miha Pogačnik, an expert in international law, wrote: “We have some really interesting people in Slovenia. Healthcare professionals supposedly know everything about the Constitution and human rights, while Constitutional Court judges know everything about the virus and the epidemic.”
Sara Kovač
