A nationwide rally was held in Ljubljana’s Congress Square on Thursday, the 21st of March. It was brought about as the result of dissatisfied citizens who have had enough. Enough of empty promises, enough of the imposition of harmful ideologies, enough of the government’s profligacy at their expense, and enough of the indications pointing to the corrupt risks of this government. “There comes a time when there is no more time, when something must be done for Slovenia, when we need to stand together and show civic courage. Thank you for being here today! Today, when spring has come to our country again. In the square in the middle of Ljubljana, which will one day be named after Dr Jože Pučnik, the father of the Slovenian state!” were the opening words of the event.
“On the square where the Slovenian spring was born in 1988! On the square where, a year later, the May Declaration was read out, on the basis of which we created an independent Slovenia!” were the opening words of the nationwide protest against the harmful, incompetent, anti-Slovenian and Yugoslav-loving government of Robert Golob, which started at 5 p.m. on Thursday, the 21st of March, on Ljubljana’s Congress Square. This is the square where tens of thousands of people gathered to protest against the State Security Service mafia, the speaker added. And on Thursday, too, protesters gathered there to say “Enough!” to those who are destroying Slovenians’ homeland.
All those interested were also invited to join the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) on this occasion, as more people together can do more good. The SDS party is a big political family that is “building Slovenia”. In addition, the speaker also invited those gathered at the protest to buy the bestselling books of the publishing house Nova Obzorja (New Horizons). The organisers then played some of the arrogant statements which symbolise the way the liberal left-wing coalition governs. They have done enormous damage to Slovenia in less than two years of being in power.
Golob: “I really don’t see how I would benefit from lower taxes.”
As a result, over 70 percent of the people rate the work of the Golob government negatively. One such statement, for example, was that Covid-19 can be cured by the sun and salty seawater. Another statement was what good would lower taxes have done him – Golob, that is – except to allow him to waste money on more stupid things. In the following video, those present could hear Golob promising the judges a six hundred euro pay raise without a particular reason for it.
When the “first concubine” of the country gave the order, the bear culling stopped!
The audience could also hear a POP TV journalist asking Golob: “Do you make decisions in favour of your intimate partner or in favour of the state?” to which he was unable to give a clear answer. Journalist Uroš Slak also pointed out that when the “first concubine” of the country called on Golob to halt the culling of bears, Golob immediately called on the Minister of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, Uroš Brežan, to do just that. Later on, the audience could also hear how the Prime Minister had publicly threatened to “purge the Janšaists” – that is, supporters of Janez Janša, from all public institutions.
Former Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, then took the stage: “On behalf of the SDS Committee of the City of Ljubljana, let me welcome you to Ljubljana. Thanks to you, honest, hard-working, patriotic people, Ljubljana is festive today! However, Ljubljana is not so festive otherwise. The last poll conducted among the citizens of Ljubljana just over two months ago showed that 70 percent of them believe that Ljubljana is being run in a corrupt way and that corruption and clientelism are the modus operandi for Mayor Zoran Janković!”
In the entire history of independent Slovenia, there has never been such a corrupt politician as Janković!
Hojs also said that he himself had not been polled but added that in the entire history of independent Slovenia, there has never been such a corrupt and crook politician as Janković. He went on to remind the audience that they were not at the event because of Janković, but because of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. He also recalled that Ljubljana is adorned with numerous images of St George, who defeated the dragon and was a Roman soldier who knew that he was fighting for God and the Emperor. The latter, in St George’s time, was Diocletian, who decided to raise taxes sharply to fill the coffers.
Many merchants and entrepreneurs went out of business as a result. Diocletian also decided to be the first in history to regulate prices. As a result, neither farmers nor merchants wanted to sell their products anymore, and famine and severe shortages ensued. But the worst was his decision to “turn his empire into a deity” – he decided to start persecuting Christians and claimed that he was the only god in this world. “St George resisted this, so Emperor Diocletian persecuted him and murdered him after extensive torture. Later, because of all he had done, St George was declared a saint.”
Golob ordered the removal of Janšaists!
“And now you are probably asking yourselves what Diocletian has to do with our government. No, he has nothing to do with it, but our government has a lot to do with Diocletian!” Hojs reminded those gathered at the protest of Golob’s promises and subsequent introductions of higher taxes and wage cuts. He also said that Golob had also regulated prices. “And Golob, our ‘Sun King’, also wanted to establish his empire, so he put into practice what you have heard. And he is not persecuting only Christians or other believers. He said that all Janšaists must be removed! That is why our ‘Sun King’ is like Diocletian!”
Hojs then noted that Diocletian, seeing what a fool he had been, also made a wise move – he resigned, moved to the other side of the Adriatic Sea, to Split, where his palace still stands today, and enjoyed himself until his death. “So, here’s hoping that Golob resigns too, turns his attention to his stolen money and enjoys the new love he has found!” However, according to Hojs, we have not only a “Sun King” in the country but also a “Byzantine pasture”, and today we do not know which is “better”.
“Today, it is the time for a new Slovenian spring to awaken!”
Hojs then noted that, “The Queen still seems to have the upper hand!” He also recalled the first Slovenian Prime Minister, Marjan Vidmar, who passed away just last week, and who was elected in the first democratic elections in Slovenia. He recalled his famous words: “Our weapons are truth, work and honesty. In all other things, they are better! And this is very true! They have been better at corruption, at clientelism, at manipulating the truth, at manipulating the media for all of the past 30 years, and today it is time for a new Slovenian spring to awaken!”
At the end of his address, Hojs thanked the participants for coming to the protest and reminded them that “it is dangerous to be part of the Slovenian Spring, just as it was dangerous for St George, who rebelled against the Emperor. But we brave people do not bow down!” Not even when it is revealed that someone is trapped in concrete in the Stožice project or in the Barje dump. “Horrific!” Hojs believes that the Slovenian Spring will never die and will only return every few years. “Slovenian Spring is alive, so long live Slovenia, long live Slovenian Spring, God bless you!”
There would be no Slovenian land without the Slovenian farmer!
Several musical groups, ensembles and an octet provided a rich cultural programme at the protest, too. The host of the event reminded the audience that there would be no Slovenian land without the Slovenian farmer, who produces food and preserves the cultural landscape and Slovenian identity. She recalled that it was the Slovenian farmer who first joined together to form an organisation to oppose the totalitarian regime, and who today is fighting against excessive domestic and European bureaucracy, against dispossession and for survival. The next speaker was Gregor Planko, a young Slovenian farmer.
He said that farmers are demanding that the authorities immediately adopt and enforce legislation to prevent consumers from being misled about the origin of the food we eat. They are also demanding a full regulation of mass balances for all sectors of agriculture. In order to ensure the self-sufficiency of the Slovenian people, they demand a change in the policy of renting agricultural land owned by the Republic of Slovenia, in such a way that family farms are given priority over legal entities. They also strongly reject the lie that a few companies provide two-thirds of all agricultural market production.
Farmers don’t need nonsense like the ‘green transition’, they already protect nature
For years, there has been talk of the collapse of three farms a day, and yet year after year, we hear of over 55,000 applications for agricultural subsidies being submitted. The farmers are therefore demanding that the Minister of Agriculture and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia immediately take firm control of the so-called “couch farms,” which must be prevented from submitting subsidy applications. These are deliberate and easily provable violations. They also demand a reduction in red tape. Farmers have been protecting the environment for centuries, so they do not need nonsense such as the ‘green transition’, which only serves the capital. At the same time, they are also demanding a redistribution of funds from large farms to smaller farms.
Investments are needed in smaller family farms, and a reduction of the population of beasts and game is also necessary. “People should come before animals!”
The topic then turned to migration. It should be noted that some time ago, Golob said that the only correct way to manage migration is to legalise it. The speaker recalled that the authorities publicly invite illegal migrants into Slovenia and that the number of illegal crossings has increased exponentially under this government. Asylum centres are overcrowded, crime is on the rise, and prisons are full of human traffickers.
While the illegal migrants are enjoying themselves, our pensioners are barely scraping by!
An illegal migrant costs a Slovenian 2,000 euros a month (this is a calculation provided by the Court of Audit). The host of the protest also pointed out that the Golob government, without consulting the local population, had recently decided on the new locations of the migrant centres in Obrežje and Središče ob Dravi, but that the citizens had rightly and unanimously opposed this arbitrary decision of the government. The next speaker was Andrej Kosi, an SDS MP who lives in the vicinity of Središče ob Dravi. “While illegal migrants are enjoying themselves and cost us 2,000 euros a month, our pensioners are barely scraping by!”
He also highlighted the increasingly intolerable security situation – he pointed out that people no longer dare to walk around Ljubljana without carrying tear gas with them. And instead of guaranteeing people’s fundamental constitutional right, which is security, the Golob government decided to establish an asylum centre in the municipalities mentioned above, without even consulting the local community beforehand. Središče ob Dravi, for example, is known for its safe living environment. “The people there cultivate Slovenian soil and produce the best pumpkin oil in Slovenia. The people of Središče ob Dravi will not allow anyone to encroach on their territory!”
The citizens of Središče ob Dravi will defend the border against illegal migrants, just like they did in 1991!
According to MP Kosi, the citizens of Središče ob Dravi are letting the Golob government know that “just as they defended the Slovenian border in 1991, they will defend it today and forever!” After MP Kosi, the leader of the opposition, Janez Janša, finally took the floor: “Today, despite the rain, Ljubljana is Slovenian again. The last time this square saw as many people as have gathered here today was in those June days of 1988, when the Slovenian Spring came to Slovenia!” Janša then reminded the crowd that they had not gathered to remember the good times, because Slovenia had been hit by two disasters in the last two years.
The left wants to turn illegal migrants into new voters because they are running out of domestic voters!
One tragedy was last year’s August floods, the other was the Golob government that took office on the 1st of June, 2022. Janša said: “Instead of managing the country responsibly, given the strong majority they have in the National Assembly, they have decided to abuse governance for an appropriation of this country.” They are repeating approaches that have been seen before – and that are typical of the global left – in Slovenia today. The left used to fight for the workers, but today, it is only fighting for its own pockets and for illegal migrants, whom it wants to turn into new voters because it is running out of domestic voters.
“The lady who is a regular visitor of Čebine and Fotopub is the Minister of Culture!”
Above all, the political catastrophe we experienced in June 2022, has brought about the rule of the incompetent. According to Janša, we have a government, the likes of which we have never seen before. Janša: “A young man who has never worked a day in his life and claims that exporters are the Achilles’ heel of the Slovenian economy is our Minister of Labour. The lady who is a regular visitor to Čebine and Fotopub is the Minister of Culture; the former CEO who bankrupted three companies is the Minister of Finance. The lady who came to the National Assembly with three paper folders is the Minister for Digital Transformation.”
Someone who is a comedian and who gave up on running the country just before the epidemic hit is now the Minister for Defence. We also have a ‘mastermind’ who tears down the fence at the border, while at the same time telling people to lock themselves in their houses when the number of migrants rises, “and he is the Minister responsible for your security, the Minister of the Interior. And then we have the “top manager,” who surprises us every day with a new formula, a solution in the style of the one about Kardelj and the sick cow – and that is the Prime Minister!” Any democratically elected government should be the government of the whole country.
Janša’s government had carefully redistributed money to meet the needs of the whole of Slovenia.
Janša then also pointed out that when someone is elected, that does not mean they get the ownership of the state – instead, they are supposed to manage it responsibly, which is what the members of the Golob coalition were promising to do before the elections. “They promised to do things differently. They are indeed doing things differently, but I doubt that they are going in the direction that they promised!” He cited the example of the government redistributing money that was earmarked for natural disasters or specifically for flood reconstruction, for the purchase of the dilapidated building on Litijska Street, among other things. In the Janša government, however, when there was money left over, it was redistributed all over Slovenia – it went to schools, kindergartens, sports halls, sports grounds and homes for the elderly.
The government has appointed its fourth Deputy Prime Minister – for Instagram!
Today, if you look at the websites of the various ministries, there are lots of calls for tenders for all sorts of things. “Among other things, they are giving out money for gender studies in sub-Saharan Africa. That really is different from how things used to be done!” Janša remarked cynically. On the other hand, the Janša government had allocated money for the operation of the Demographic Office in Maribor and for assistance to young families. The Janša government also moved state offices around Slovenia, while the current one created four expensive new ministries.
Despite the epidemic, agriculture received hundreds of millions of euros extra
Recently, a fourth Deputy Prime Minister was appointed – for Instagram. “There is no end to the costs!” Despite the epidemic and the hard times, during the previous, Janša government, agricultural policy was given several hundred million euros extra, and on the other hand, the Golob government has taxed farmers even more heavily than they were before, while even expropriating some. Janša also recalled the digital vouchers that citizens got under the previous government, where everyone could buy what they needed. On the other hand, the Golob government bought 13,000 old computers, which have been sitting in warehouses for a year.
Janša also recalled a time when there was no inflation and when those with the lowest pensions were given allowances to mitigate the rising prices, but the current government is unable to even bring pensions in line with high inflation. Janša: “At the same time, they are returning the fines that were rightly imposed on those who spread the virus around Ljubljana, and they are writing new fines to the disgruntled farmers who are protesting.” Janša also recalled that when they took power in 2020, they were also supposed to sign off on a contract to renovate the hotel in the Brdo congress centre for 40 million euros (at the time, the renovations had to be rushed because of the upcoming presidency of the European Union). Janša’s government cancelled the contract and renovated the building for 12 million euros.
The government will renovate one of the less busy railway stations for 170 million euros
Today, railway stations along the tracks that were built during the Austro-Hungarian era are being renovated. Slovenian railways need modernisation, and modernisation must start where we will get more modern and faster rail transport, not at a railway station where the renovation will cost 170 million euros and where a mere six hundred passengers board daily (which means that the renovations will cost 300,000 euros per passenger). There are many more examples of such bad decisions by the Golob government. And while the government boasts about how it has tamed inflation, it is signing annexes that raise costs by 50 percent, 60 percent and even 70 percent.
What was stolen will one day have to be returned
“A theft of cosmic proportions is happening before our eyes!” Janša believes that the purpose of Thursday’s event was also to curb this theft of public money, at least a little. He promised that at some point, things will be investigated, and what was stolen will have to be returned. “Hold your horses with this extreme corruption!” Janša also touched on the greatly intensified migrant wave that we have seen enter our country under this government, which is directly inviting migrants to come here, and the numbers are unmanageable. He recalled that not even ten percent of these migrants come to us from countries at war but from countries where European tourists go on holiday.
These are Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, where there is no war. “This is about importing new voters at your expense, about the left, and about the disintegration of a nation!” he pointed out.
Domen Mezeg
