“Two members of the government of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico reacted on Sunday to the attack on a well-known journalist, criticizing him for his professional activities.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
flag of Slovakia, illustrative photo by Pixabay Source: “European truth”, referring to the statements of officials on social networks
Details: Interior Minister Matus Šutaj Eštok, who heads the country’s police force, condemned the violence in general. At the same time, he added that the public space in Slovakia “has long faced polarizing and dehumanizing statements that increase tensions in society.”
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“Even an alleged attack on a commentator covered in the media cannot lead to his being relieved of responsibility for the words that contributed to the escalation of emotions and the division of the public,” the minister wrote on Facebook.
Environment Minister Tomas Taraba, a representative of the far-right People’s Party – Our Slovakia, said that the commentator Schutz is known for his aggressive statements.
“Commentator Schutz, who was noted for his extremely aggressive remarks against people, regularly dehumanized them and even wished that during the pandemic they would “squeal like pigs in a slaughterhouse”, was beaten by someone in Košice. Such a violent act should be condemned, even if it is about people who should be punished by justice,” Taraba wrote.
January 10 in Slovakia attacked a well-known journalist Peter Schutz, when he was in the toilet of the country’s second largest city, Kosice. The unknown man without saying a word hit Shutka on the back of the head, as a result of which he fell and suffered a fracture of the femur.
Slovakia has experience of violence against media workers. It became the most shocking the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kushnirova in 2018, which led to the resignation of the government, which was also headed by Fico at the time.
The prime minister himself was seriously wounded during the shooting in May 2024, for which he at least partially blamed the Slovak media.