After Slovenia was shaken by a scandal a few days ago concerning the alleged sexual and financial abuse of the prominent figure in the cultural sphere, Dušan Josip Smodej, his connections with some famous names unofficially came to light. Among them was the head of the Left party (Levica) and Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Luka Mesec, who strongly denied any connection with Smodej and even threatened to sue people who spread these claims because of “slander.” However, it turned out that these claims were not just “slander” and that Luka Mesec was clearly lying, as an anonymous profile appeared on Twitter, which has so far published two videos. One allegedly shows Luka Mesec entering one of Uranjek’s parties, and the other clearly shows him drinking in front of the infamous Fotopub, which is run by Dušan Smodej.
“And to dispel any doubts: I never had anything to do with Smodej. I reject all insinuations about my links to him in the strongest possible terms; I never attended any parties at his place, nor did I even know that these parties existed,” Luka Mesec strongly condemned any linking of him to the alleged sexual predator Dušan Smodej. He even threatened to sue anyone who claimed otherwise, and now a new anonymous profile has appeared online, posting a video of Luka Mesec at a party at the home of the late Roman Uranjek, an ally of Smodej’s. According to the anonymous profile in question, Mesec also attended a New Year’s party at the late Uranjek’s house.
The Smodej affair has been causing quite a stir in the Slovenian public for a while now, as well as the famous faces who have been unofficially linked to Smodej. The prominent cultural figure, who was also the director of the Fotopub association, known for his “controversial artistic” ventures, has been the target of different criticism for a while now and has also received a great deal of media attention. Although Smodej participated in many projects, including the Ljubljana anti-government protests, after the revelation of the affair, he suddenly became a person nobody knew or had anything to do with.
Mesec denied attending the parties, while the Left party accused the victims of prostitution between the lines
Not only did it take Luka Mesec almost two weeks to react to the whole thing, and his reaction was apparently a lie, but the Left party also condemned the act and accused the victims of prostitution between the lines because of the poor working conditions in the art sector – here is what they wrote on Twitter: “It is clear that the cultural sector has a serious sexual harassment problem. The latter is exacerbated by poor and precarious working conditions, in which it often happens that this situation is what makes it easier for perpetrators to abuse victims. Such behaviour must be condemned in the clearest and strongest terms.” Professor Žiga Turk responded to their post and wrote: “Translation: this deviant culture is the consequence of not enough financing. Really?”
Does the clip explain the strange response of Luka Mesec’s ex-girlfriend?
The public has also been quite upset in recent days by the statement of Manca G. Renko, the Minister’s former private partner, who commented a short “LOL,” which in online jargon means “laughing out loud,” under one of the first public confessions about Smodej’s alleged abuse and financial malversations. The reaction shocked many on social media, some even asked her what was so funny about the terrible situation that was described in the post.
Is Luka Mesec one of Smodej’s many allies about which the victims have testified?
Recently, one of Smodej’s victims anonymously made a statement confirming that “Dušan has many friends and protectors because he is the drug supplier to everyone,” and it would not be surprising to learn that Mesec is also one of his friends, especially considering his unusual behaviour in the National Assembly, which we have also previously written about. The facial grimaces, nail-biting and the like reminded many of people going through the withdrawal crisis that addicts go through when they are coming off drugs.
Given that Mesec has vehemently denied any connection to Smodej and the parties where the alleged abuse and other controversial sexual depravities took place, we wanted to know how he comments on the matter. We sent the following questions to both the Left party and the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities:
-
Is it true that Luka Mesec attended Roman Uranjek’s New Year’s party this year?
-
Does he still insist that he had nothing to do with Uranjek or that he does not know him and that he did not attend such parties?
-
What happened at the party in front of and inside the Fotopub?
We have not received a response yet.
Tanja Brkić
