On Friday evening, a handful of provocateurs who want to overthrow the democratic government with the help of the streets gathered once again. According to the police, around 700 people gathered; 69 were fined due to the violations of the Ordinance on the temporary general prohibition of gathering and movement of people in public spaces and areas, and eight were fined due to the violations of the Public Order Act.
Friday’s protests are losing their original impact, as only about 700 people gathered this week, as opposed to when the protests began, and the protesters talked about 10,000 people gathering. Jaša Jenull, Svetlana Makarovič, Andrej Rozman Roza, and rapper Zlatan Čordić – Zlatko were also spotted at the protests.
While Jenull called for the fall of the government, Makarovič protested with a raised fist, and Zlatko was complimenting the police officers, while calling into the megaphone: “Do not be embarrassed, the most you can get is a fine, which we will pay.” None of the three, however, wore a mask, even though they were in a public space and in a crowd, where they could not keep the appropriate distance from one another, with which they could help prevent the spread of the infectious disease.
There were lots of violations
According to the police, this is how the rally went: at around 7 p.m., the protesters began to gather on Prešeren Square, then they walked along the Slovenska Street and other surrounding streets to the Republic Square, where about 700 people gathered. At around 8.30 p.m., most of them left the Republic Square, and around 150 participants gathered in the vicinity of Trdinova Street.
The police officers performed the necessary tasks for the protection of the National Assembly, mainly, they were maintaining public order and peace, ensuring the safety of the protesters, regulating traffic, and monitoring compliance with the Ordinance on the temporary general prohibition of gathering and movement of people in public spaces and areas in the Republic of Slovenia. The protests ended on Trdinova Street, at around 9 p.m.
While securing the rally, the police officers recorded a violation of the Public Assembly Act, and 61 cases of violations of the Ordinance on the temporary general prohibition of gathering and movement of people in public spaces and areas in the Republic of Slovenia, and they will notify the competent inspectorate in regards to these violations. They also found eight violations of the Public Order Act and were forced to use coercive means against individuals for disobeying orders in four cases. Two of these persons were brought to the police station for identification purposes and released upon completion of the proceedings. In connection with the event, the police recorded the identity of 64 people. They will also continue to collect information about the event and will act in accordance with the law in the event of additional detected offenses or criminal offenses.
Sara Kovač