The attempted assassination of Donald Trump has provoked more than just disgust and outrage. On the contrary, many people, including in Slovenia, reacted to the shooting with indulgence, derision and conspiracy theories. Some then tried to correct their statements in subsequent comments.
Political violence also has a home in Slovenia, not only in the USA. Observers of political developments do not need to recount individual examples, but still, let’s think back to some of the things that happened in Slovenia. There are probably not many people who do not recall the public lynching and burning of the puppet of former minister Aleš Hojs, the judicial normalisation of the slogan “Death to Janšaism,” and even direct threats such as this one: “Janša must be killed!” We even witnessed a direct call for the rehabilitation of political violence by the Left party (Levica) MP Miha Kordiš.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Urška Klakočar Zupančič, was right in her last appearance on the “depoliticised” national television, TV Slovenia. Hateful rhetoric and its normalisation can lead to actual violence. However, she forgot to mention that political violence in Slovenia is normalised mainly by the political left. The government led by Robert Golob was swept to power by the very protests that it organised on purpose and which repeatedly displayed elements of violence. After coming to power, Golob’s government thanked them by exonerating fines legally imposed by police officers, by increasing funding for NGOs that were at the centre of the protests, and by increasing funding for media that covered the protests extensively. The judiciary even acquitted Ludvik Tomšič, who publicly chanted “Janša must be killed” at the protests.
Some went too far
The reactions of Slovenian X social media users are therefore not surprising. The most outraged was Arjan Pregl, a painter and supporter of the current government, who wrote that the shooter “hit the goalpost.” After receiving a series of critical comments, he deleted the post comparing what happened to a football game and finally wrote that he condemns the shooting.
Social media user Ava Križaj went one step further. She wrote that “even snipers are not what they used to be.”
The newspaper Delo also reacted derisively, as if they do not understand the danger of political violence. They published a caricature of Trump with a tag in his ear (the one that was hit) that reads “USA President 2024.”
Conspiracy theorists
Some have speculated that the former President arranged to be shot from 150 metres away. This is, of course, an absurd idea, as security experts have explained. Among the speculators were the well-known activist blogger Roni Kordiš and others. Kordiš wrote: “The attempted assassination of Trump is a vile act. But why am I unable to shake the feeling that there is something else going on in this case? People always like martyrs. And someone who survived an assassination attempt will likely become the new President of the USA.”
Andraž Zorko, the co-owner of the “polling” company Valicon, also contributed to the discourse, writing: “For all those who overslept – in the first hour after the attempted assassination of Trump, we could already read – and see! – everything that allegedly *actually* happened. The blue ticks are great at that. Plus, someone from the former homeland – we will not name names – has a new job.” He also added the hashtag “reichstag,” meaning parliament. Professor Žiga Turk responded to Zorko’s post, writing: “The PR experts are hinting at the fact that Trump deliberately allowed himself to be shot in the ear from 150 metres away, for the benefit of his pre-election campaign?” To which Boštjan Perne responded by writing: “There is no hero in this world who would want to be shot in the ear in a staged assassination. From so far away, the distance between the ear and the head is big enough for a 2-euro coin. Just a small movement of the head, even with an expert sniper, and you’re gone. This was an attempt at a liquidation. And Zorko should not be taken seriously. He lost the plot a long time ago…”
Maribor photographer Marko Pigac also speculated that the assassination could have been staged, writing: “Let’s get one thing clear: the shooting – whether staged or not, should not be part of our everyday. And another thing – will just any person who is portrayed as a victim get a political mandate from now on? I wonder what Trump’s ear will look like after they clean it.”
The Left party has not responded to the attack yet
Another special form of reaction is not reacting to such an event at all. The Foreign Ministry’s response was long delayed, the government’s even longer, and the far-left Left party (Levica) has not yet reacted to what happened at all.
However, we know for sure that their PR department has not yet gone on holiday, as, in the meantime, they have published several photos and records, for example, from Base 20 in the Kočevje Forest. But what could we even expect from a party whose MP, Miha Kordiš, called for the rehabilitation of political violence some time ago?
Z. K.
