Even though the authorities under the current government want to give the impression that the Roma problem is under control, an event in the Šmihel settlement in Novo mesto has revealed that this is far from the truth. The Mayor of Novo mesto, Gregor Macedoni, blames the state for what is happening, but the responsibility more than obviously also falls on the police, who were previously informed that the perpetrator was carrying a weapon, and who knew that he was, after all, an old acquaintance of the police.
The Roma issue has been a burning issue for a long time, as we have already reported. With each new escalation of incidents, it is becoming clear that the situation is getting out of control. What is most worrying is the fact that even the Roma, who are often the target of these incidents, have begun to express their dissatisfaction with the incompetence of the authorities under the current government.
The incident in Šmihel was particularly worrying, as a resident of the Roma settlement had warned of the danger several days before the incident occurred. According to him, a neighbour had already threatened him with a gun, which was also recorded. However, the police did not react seriously to the warnings. The resident stated that the police had rejected the claims of weapons and claimed that the perpetrator was not holding a gun, but only a flashlight. However, the resident clearly saw that it was a gun, which he proved by the footage.
“When the gypsies accuse the police of having no order, then things must be really bad,” wrote an X user, referring to the footage from the mainstream media.
The incident ended with a child getting injured as the accidental victim of the shooting, and a fire that destroyed the house of the alleged shooter. The perpetrator was eventually apprehended by the police with the help of a helicopter, but the incident highlighted the shortcomings of the preventive action. The police admitted that the perpetrator had previously been investigated for violent acts.
The ignoring of the seriousness of the situation was recently highlighted by Anja Bah Žibert, an MP of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS), who stressed that this is endangering the local population. The Roma issue is not a new challenge. The previous government, led by Janez Janša, already proposed changes to legislation, but was blocked by the Left party (Levica). In the last year, bills to tackle the problem have been rejected again and again. Despite these difficulties, the government shows no signs of seriously addressing this increasingly pressing issue.
The latest incident in Šmihel clearly shows that the current authorities are incapable of dealing with the situation effectively. Those in power must no longer ignore reality. The fact that the inhabitants of the Roma settlements and the surrounding population face danger on a daily basis requires serious action. Instead of covering up the problems, the government should get on with finding lasting solutions before something worse happens.
A.H.
