There seems to be no end to the charlatan actions, the number one targets of which are now the politicians and right-wing journalists. On Friday, the National Assembly discussed hate speech and threats, and while that was going on, certain charlatans visited the home of SMC MP Monika Gregorčič. Despite the fact that we live in a democracy and that the government is being led by a man who was elected to parliament, the opponents of the current system insist on calling this “fascism.” A poster that describes the “warning signs of fascism” was put up on Gregorčič’s door. Meanwhile, the deputies concluded that hate speech is not acceptable; however, the Supreme State Prosecutor Aleš Butala does not seem to agree with this, as he would rather work on “preventing” the attacks.
After a few months of charlatan actions in front of the parliament and all across the country, the National Assembly has only now begun the discussion, in which it stated that hate speech and violence are not welcome in Slovenia. Most of the MPs condemned the acts of drawing swastikas, kicking the head of a paper mache Prime Minister doll, burning the puppets that look like our politicians, and sending death threats. The coalition MPs believe that such actions should be stopped.
However, all of the MPs that were gathered at the session were surprised by the response of the Supreme State Prosecutor Aleš Butala. He said that we should work on “prevention” because repression is not the right solution. “It would be delusional to expect the omnipotence of the law to legally resolve all these relations, which are, for example, written in the material for today’s session. It would be even more delusional to expect that the criminal-legal repressive apparatus will resolve these relations,” Butala said.
And while Butala was talking about the repression not being an appropriate tool in such acts, the attackers came to the home of the SMC MP Monika Gregorčič. “Today, at the session of the National Assembly, we held a discussion, the intention of which is to draw attention to the escalation of intolerance and hostility due to different values and beliefs in our society. Meanwhile, another charlatan action happened, involving another poster – this time, it happened at my own home. Thank you to the police for the quick and correct response,” Gregorčič wrote. The quack put up a poster with “warning signs of fascism” on her door.
Is change coming?
Despite everything, the MPs are not giving up under pressure. They are staying strong, or, as the SMC MP Gregor Perič put it, who also had some visitors at his home: “The threats only make me stronger.”
On Friday, the 19th of February 2021, the MPs adopted a decision at the Committee on Justice (seven for and three against) and the Committee on the Interior) ten for and eight against). The opposition MPs are the ones who opposed the new decree – even though they are the ones who are usually the loudest in the National Assembly and who like to insult the coalition MPs and call them fascists and collaborators.
The action plan envisages the prosecution of people who send death threats to the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the President of the National Council, the ministers, the Members of Parliament, state councillors, judges, and other state officials and their families. “The people who send death threats will soon be prosecuted ex officio for such crimes when it comes to higher state officials. The Republic of Slovenia is a state, governed by the rule of law!” MP Dejan Kaloh explained on Twitter.
Sara Rančigaj
