On Saturday, we witnessed another hostile event. This time, it did not take place at some protest “with no official organiser”, but at a public event organised by Minister of Justice Andreja Katič in her capacity as President of the Velenje branch of the Associations of the National Liberation Movement (ZB NOB).
The event, which the organisers called “We Were Stronger Under the Star,” took place on Saturday, the 13th of August, at 10 a.m. According to the invitation, it was organised by the Minister of Justice, and the keynote speech was given by her party colleague, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development, Dr Aleksander Jevšek.
At the event, a young man took the stage and began reciting a lampoon – a political text intended to shame someone, with no artistic value, which can be understood as a direct threat to journalist and historian Dr Jože Možina. A recording of this same young person reciting the poet Svetlana Makarovič’s lampoon on another occasion has already circulated on the internet in the past.
A recording of his latest endeavour (in Slovenian) can be viewed here:
“Oh, we know him, Možina. He never changes, the pig has found the trough, he gorges, he grazes and he pukes, he doesn’t know anything else. He threw up the Witnesses, joined the traitors, a concentration of hatred, a combination of lies and cheap showmanship. A slanderer without honour, he would spit on the partisans, he crawled into the ass of the Home Guard, he is afraid of red stars. Partisanship is a value; the Home Guard is a disgrace. Dražgoše is bloodied, that place is a place of honourable memory. Death to fascism, death to Janšaism, tongue behind your teeth, Možina,” reads the text. The shameful text was recited by Svetlana Makarovič at one of the Friday protests during the term of the previous government.
Will the President of the Republic or the media respond?
Former Prime Minister and President of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS), Janez Janša, publicly responded to the hateful attack organised by the Minister of Justice.
“And this was organised by MINISTER Katič? The Minister of JUSTICE and calls for DEATH. On the invitation and on the stage, there is a slogan that directly insults the state of Slovenia. Because under the star, they could lie, insult, steal, and kill with impunity. Now they are publicly shouting that they would do it again. And as you can see, they are back on the same path. What will President Nataša Pirc Musar say? Is this the policy of the Social Democrats (Socialni demokrati – SD)? Unfortunately, we are here. Elon Musk was right when he wrote: “We must fight back or be murdered,” wrote SDS President Janez Janša in response to the hateful performance.
The text of the invitation to the event read:
“The Association of the National Liberation Movement of Slovenija – Velenje, mountaineers, veterans, and patriotic organisations invite you to
the 37th TRADITIONAL MEETING OF FIGHTERS, MOUNTAINEERS AND MEMBERS OF VETERANS’ AND PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATIONS – GRAŠKA GORA 2025,
which will take place on Saturday, the 13th of September 2025, at 10 a.m. on Graška Gora – The Mountain of Attacks.
The keynote speaker at the meeting will be Dr Aleksander JEVŠEK, Minister for Cohesion and Regional Development of the Republic of Slovenia,
The welcoming address on behalf of the Velenje branch of the Associations of the National Liberation Movement and the Municipality of Velenje will be given by the mayor of the Municipality of Velenje, Peter DERMOL,
and the welcoming address on behalf of the Coal Mine Velenje will be given by the general director, Marko MAVEC, MSc.
We will commemorate the values of the national liberation fight and strengthen the bonds between all those who care about peace, freedom, and patriotism. The meeting will include a cultural programme, speeches, and a social gathering in a pleasant atmosphere.
Come and join us in reviving memories, strengthening camaraderie, and preserving the values that have united us across generations.
You are cordially invited!”
The events on Graška Gora, where the event took place on Saturday, have at least two additional dimensions. As already mentioned, the event was held under the title “We were stronger under the star,” which could be understood as a call to revive the authoritarian legacy of the transitional left, which Slovenians decisively rejected in a plebiscite. And given that the event was organised by the aforementioned minister, questions about her political motives are justified.
And there is another dimension: the municipality of Velenje recently approved a public gathering of opponents of communist monuments in the city, only to ban it overnight without a clear explanation. The event took place anyway. So, during Golob’s government, democratic protests are being suppressed, but it is permissible to spew hatred at events nostalgic for Yugoslavia?
S. K.
