The police report on the climate strike is very telling. The authorities were not notified of the strike beforehand, and the young anarcho-leftists destroyed other people’s property. As many as 48 people were booked by the police, two of them minors. They are also still collecting reports on the protesters causing traffic hazards.
The Youth for Climate Justice strike, the intention of which was supposedly to fight for a clean environment, turned out to be nothing more than a protest organised by disgruntled environmentalists. The police report is very telling, and the owner of the Plečnik Stadium, Joc Pečečnik, will file criminal charges against the protesters for breaking into the stadium.
48 people were booked for committing a criminal act
While providing security for a public rally that started on Friday at around 1 p.m. on Congress Square and then continued in Bežigrad in Ljubljana, the police officers said that before the start of the rally, the police had once again informed the organiser of the rally that the rally should be held in accordance with the programme and in compliance with the road traffic regulations.
The rally initially proceeded according to the announced programme, but shortly after 2 p.m., a currently unknown perpetrator damaged and removed the chain on the gate of a building on Dunajska Street in Ljubljana, allowing several rally participants to enter the private property where they continued the rally. As a result of the suspicion of a criminal offence, police officers, in accordance with Article 40 of the Police Tasks and Powers Act, started to establish the identity of the persons who had entered the building. The persons were immediately informed of the reason for the identification. A total of 48 persons were identified, of whom only two were minors. The assembly ended at around 3 p.m.
After the rally, police officers inspected the scene of the crime of damaging property and will inform the competent public prosecutor’s office of the circumstances. The owner of the building, the well-known entrepreneur Joc Pečečnik, has been advised to initiate a private prosecution for disturbing the property which the participants entered, and he confirmed to POP TV that he will also file criminal charges against the young people.
They did not notify the authorities of the rally in advance
Police officers are still verifying the circumstances of the violation of the Public Assembly Act, as the public gathering did not develop in accordance with the registered programme. They are also still collecting reports of perceived breaches of road traffic law, as the participants walked on the road, endangering and obstructing traffic and causing traffic congestion. In the event of additional crimes or offences being detected, action will be taken in accordance with the legislation.
The police stressed that they respect and support the expression of opinions, “but these participants, like all others, are obliged to respect Slovenian law, and the police will not make exceptions here.”
Will the authorities protect them again?
In light of all this, former chief of police, Dr Anton Olaj, has asked the Minister of Justice, Dominika Švarc Pipan, whether the offenders will be exonerated this time, too, since the government of Robert Golob amnestied all the troublemakers and violators that caused trouble during the protests against the Janša government.
Andrej Žitnik
