“You will soon be tried by the nation, and I hope you will end up where you belong – in prison or an institution suitable for your condition,” is just one of the many threats that the long-time TV show host on RTV Slovenia, Igor Pirkovič, who is currently serving as the deputy editor of the MMC web portal, has been getting in recent weeks. And the reason for this is apparently that he does not belong among the people for whom the now-former host of the show Studio City, Marcel Štefančič, said there are “fucking more of us than there are of them.”
Threats against people who think differently, including death threats, have become a new practice with the victory of the Freedom Movement party (Gibanje Svoboda), especially for all of the radical leftists who simply cannot come to terms with the fact that someone thinks differently than they do. Among those who have been named on the list of the people to be replaced is also the deputy editor of the MMC web portal, Igor Pirkovič.
“Mr Pirkovič, you are a disaster of a man, have you no shame? You engage in clerical fascism in front of everyone, and you even enjoy it. You will soon be tried by the nation, and I hope you will end up where you belong – in prison or an institution suitable for your condition,” is a recent threat that was sent to Pirkovič by a Facebook user Matjaž Pucher. Let us remind you that the “trial of the nation” already happened after the victory of similar people in 1945, who promised freedom as well. And we all know how that ended. Journalist and historian Jože Možina has already pointed out that these years could be repeated. “It is not impossible. Many journalists are in a revolutionary trance, which is reminiscent of the historical Slovenian schism, when incitement and slander escalated into violence.”
Who is the extremist Pucher?
Pucher is an individual who is considered a supporter of the so-called Constitutional Arch Coalition (the left-wing parties of the current opposition) and a big fan of the leftist show Studio City. Given that he also shared a link to the petition of the Institute of the 8th of March on his Facebook page, which advocates for Marcel Štefančič to regain his position as host of the TV show in question, Pucher is obviously a fan of the group of people who dominate the public media outlet RTV. And as Štefančič is now officially the former host of Studio City, this may be the reason why Pucher threatened Pirkovič – following the example of his “idol.”
However, as we have previously mentioned, this threat is not an isolated case. After the Freedom Movement won the elections, Pirkovič even received death threats. He was called Janša’s rabble and warned that his days are numbered. It appears that death threats are something completely normal and acceptable for the radical leftists. Namely, we have seen lots of them in the last years, especially since the 3rd Janša government has been in power. Prime Minister Janez Janša, as well as the members of the Janša coalition and MPs, have all been threatened in the last two years. And undoubtedly, this situation is also continuing due to the unresponsiveness and inaction of the competent institution, which did not react appropriately. And since the people making the threats do not have to face any consequences for them, they conclude that they are allowed to do anything. Really anything.
Recently, threats have also been made against some cultural figures, who were called “Janšaists” and “collaborators of Janšaism” in culture, simply because they dared to work with the centre-right government for the benefit of all Slovenian citizens. Let us remind you of what happened. The Facebook page Radio svobodna Ljubljana (Radio Free Ljubljana), which is known for inciting violence and hate speech, published a list of prominent Slovenian cultural figures that have been “blacklisted.” Among them were also those who do not belong to the right, for example, the director of the Cankarjev dom congress hall, Uršula Cetinski. People who want to unify and do not care who is left or right are clearly a thorn in the side of the radical left, which is hungry for revenge. Will they continue to follow the example of the frontman of the anti-government protests, Jaša Jenull, who threatened the director of the Cankarev dom congress hall, simply because he did not like her, and said that her hypocrisy should be addressed immediately and unequivocally? How much further will this thing go?
Sara Kovač
