Member of the European Parliament and President of the Social Democrats party (Socialni demokrati), Tanja Fajon, has found herself on the wrong side of history again. On her Twitter profile, she criticised the visit of Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša to Kyiv, which was a sign of solidarity with Ukraine. Given that the visit of Janez Janša, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, and Chairman of the Polish National Security and Defence Committee Jaroslaw Kaczyński, was organised in consultation with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Fajon’s criticism is all the more bizarre and unnecessary.
“The responses of my colleagues from the Social Democratic Party of Germany in Bundestag to Janša‘s visit to Kyiv are mixed – some say it sends the wrong signal, while others believe it is a sign of solidarity. However, the prevailing assessment is that it is a pity that one of the first people to visit Ukraine is the ally of the same destroyers of peace and democracy. A farce put on to make us forget which side they are actually on,” Tanja Fajon tweeted. With this, she also added that we should not forget what side Orban, Le Pen, Kaczynski, AFD and Janša were previously on. “These are autocrats, anti-democrats, the destroyers of democracy. They are doing what Putin has been doing for years. The traces of money flow can already tell you all you need to know.”
Fajon’s response is absurd, as she, while the three European leaders went to Kyiv and the European Union is united in supporting Ukraine amidst the Russian aggression, is looking for anti-Janšaists in the German sister party. The Vice-Dean of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Boštjan M. Turk, also commented on Fajon’s tweets and stated that what she said was not, in fact, true. He urged her to share the name of the individual who is claiming that this visit is sending the wrong signal. “She should make it clear who it was that allegedly said that the visitors to Kyiv are actually allies of the same destroyer of peace, meaning Putin. We need names. I am waiting for a response. I will publish it when I get it or if I do not get it. Thank you,” he made it clear. Meanwhile, political scientist Miro Haček wondered in his response: “Why didn’t your party colleague, the Prime Minister of Germany, volunteer to travel to Kyiv instead of Janša?”
“The visit was discussed and agreed upon at the EU summit. Retired US General Wesley Clark described the trip of the three prime ministers to the besieged Kyiv today as a historic achievement. P.S.: You probably know that envy is one of the (main) sins according to the Bible, right?” commented SDS MP Branko Grims. Former Minister of the Interior, Dr Vinko Gorenak, however, made it known that the MEP is on the wrong side of history again. He wrote: “Tanja, you should be ashamed of yourself. You are on the wrong side of history.”
People are outraged by the position of the MEP who likes to declare herself a defender of human rights
Fajon’s tweet, which was liked by SD MP Matjaž Nemec, President of the Youth Forum, which is the youth wing of the SD party, Luka Goršek, General Secretary of the SD party, Dejan Levanič, former Minister of Culture, Dejan Prešiček, and the “independent” journalist Blaž Zgaga, was met with criticism in the sense of: “How low can you fall?”; “This is one of the most horrible things anyone has ever written in the history of independent Slovenia. Because of this statement, she should leave politics forever. Fajon is not only a bad politician but above all, a very, very bad person.”; “Your responses are, above all, insane.”; “Your comment is the lowest of the low. I did not imagine you could stoop so low. Sad.”; “How about you stayed quiet for once… Really…”; “Is something wrong with you?! Obviously, hatred and a sense of unattainability of your ambitions have clouded your vision and reason.”
Pahor welcomes the politically extremely important visit
The purpose of the three-member diplomatic mission of the highest rank to Kyiv is to confirm the unequivocal support of the entire European Union for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, so it is not surprising that the visit was discussed at the EU Summit. At the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, MEPs applauded the mission of the European Council delegation to Kyiv during the debate on the situation in Ukraine, MEP Milan Zver revealed. “Janez Janša, Mateusz Morawiecki and Petr Fiala are the first Western politicians to visit Ukraine after the start of the Russian aggression. Extreme courage and commitment to Europe!” The President of the Republic and the Commander-in-Chief of the Slovenian armed forces, Borut Pahor, also welcomed the politically extremely important visit of the three Prime Ministers, including Slovenian Janez Janša, to Ukrainian President Zelensky and the Ukrainian government in Kyiv. “This is a strong expression of the support of these three countries and the EU as a whole for Ukraine,” he said.
It is clear as day that Fajon wants to incite internal political division with responses like this one. It bothers her that Janša’s trip to Kyiv is one of the greatest acts of foreign policy in the history of our country. The visit has been praised by world media, such as CNN, BBC, and Bild. In a conversation with General Clart (former NATO commander), CNN compared the visit of the three prime ministers to Kyiv to the visit of London during World War II. Clark believes that extraordinary courage is needed for such a visit and that it communicates very strong support for Ukraine. Given that Fajon has proven in the past that she would only be willing to engage in debate with the aggressor side, which is deaf to calls for a ceasefire, and express solidarity with Ukraine, rather than helping with the delivery of weapons, which are crucial in the fight against the aggressor, her latest response is not all that surprising. Tanja Fajon undoubtedly missed the opportunity to just stay quiet here. But at least she will go down in history as the person who was on the wrong side of history.
Sara Kovač