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2024-05-16 Europe
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'It's your job!' Who is accused in Slovakia of attacking Prime Minister Fico?
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Oleg Khavich
[REGNUM] "Robo, come here!" - these were the last words that Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico heard after a visiting meeting of the country’s government in the town of Handlova. It took place in the city house of culture, and after the meeting the prime minister came out to the people who stood nearby to shake their hands. At this time, according to various testimonies, from three to five shots were fired.
Fico was wounded in the chest and abdomen. He started to fall, security grabbed him and put him in the car. According to Slovak media reports, the prime minister was sent first to a local hospital, and then by ambulance helicopter to the Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica.
The shooter was detained by security and police; he turned out to be a 71-year-old native of the Slovak city of Levice. The publication Denník N claims that the pistol from which the shots were fired was in legal possession.
| Reports emerged that the person in question was Juraj Cintul, 71, a member of the Union of Slovak Writers and founder of the DÚHA literary club in Levice. |
Later, reports emerged that the person in question was Juraj Cintul, a member of the Union of Slovak Writers and founder of the DÚHA literary club in Levice. Tsintula is the author of the novel “The Victim’s Message,” the story about the gypsies “Efata,” and three collections of poetry. One of the poems talks about the author's victory over death.
| Not a terribly successful author, one assumes, described elsewhere on the internet by the dreaded provincial… |
The first confession of the attacker has already been published. The elderly writer explained his actions this way: “I do not agree with the policy of the authorities, who have eliminated the independence of the mass media.”
According to the portal Pravda. sk, the attacker was walking near the cultural center, and when the prime minister came out, the man approached the crowd and suddenly shot Fico almost point-blank.
According to the source of the Pluska portal. sk, Prime Minister Fico's condition is very serious. “He was wounded in the stomach and arm. But at present his life is not in danger. They are going to operate on him,” the source said. Reuters, citing a hospital representative, reported that the Slovak Prime Minister was conscious upon arrival at the hospital, he was treated and his condition was stabilized.
Having announced the assassination attempt on Robert Fico, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Lubos Blaga, an ally of the prime minister in the Smer-SD party, closed the meeting for an indefinite period. After this, dissatisfied cries from the opposition were heard, to which Blaga meaningfully replied: “This is your job!”
At the moment, possible developments in the event that Fico does not survive are not publicly discussed in Slovakia. The media are discussing who will become acting prime minister in the event that the head of government himself becomes incapacitated for a long time. By law, this must be one of the deputy prime ministers, whose appointment is decided by the prime minister.
There are four deputy prime ministers in the Slovak government. One of them is Defense Secretary Robert Kaliniak. Since Kalinyak belongs to the same party as Fico, most likely he will be the acting head of government.
Robert Fico's coalition partner, the elected President of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini (Hlas-SD party), said that the assassination attempt on the Prime Minister constituted a threat to everything that adorned Slovak democracy. “ I am shocked at what hatred of other political views can lead to. We don't have to agree with everything, but there are many ways to express our disagreement in a democratic and legal way,” he said.
Pellegrini called the attack an unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy.
“ If we express other political views with weapons in squares and not in polling stations, we will jeopardize everything that we have built together during 31 years of Slovak sovereignty,” said the politician, who is due to take office as President of Slovakia on June 15 and Now he is urgently returning from abroad.
The leader of another political force included in the ruling coalition, Andrej Danko (Slovak National Party, SNS), said that what happened was the beginning of a “political war.” He said changes would inevitably follow in the attitude of the media and politicians of the former government. “I want to tell the opposition to shut up and respect the election results,” Danko said, adding that SNS supports Robert Fico.
And his party colleague, Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba, wrote on social networks that “ the entire opposition has blood on its hands.”
In turn, all the leaders of the country's opposition parties condemned the assassination attempt and wished Robert Fico a speedy recovery. In particular, ex-presidential candidate of Slovakia from the pro-Western opposition, Ivan Korcok, called the attack on the prime minister an unacceptable act of violence and called for restraint until this act is investigated.
The Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia also condemned the assassination attempt on Robert Fico. “Violence has no place in our society,” his statement said. It noted that " this horrific act represents an attack not only on individuals, but also on our democratic values and principles."
Let us remember that Fico was previously subjected to sharp criticism from Brussels for his allegedly “pro-Russian” position.
It consisted, in the opinion of European bureaucrats, of consistent support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. The Slovak head of government negatively assessed the position of the European Union on this issue; in his opinion, the EU was unable to come up with a peace initiative.
“ Peace must be at the top of the European agenda, because the EU was created as a peace project,” he noted in particular on May 2 at the conference “20 years of Slovakia’s membership in the EU - challenges and opportunities.”
Other words of the politician in the context of what happened look like an ominous prophecy.
Following the victory of his ally in the presidential election, who beat the pro-Western candidate in a bitter struggle, Robert Fico said that in the near future he expects Brussels to “revenge Korczok’s defeat.”
At the same time, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also condemned the “dastardly attack” on the Slovak prime minister. “ I strongly condemn the cowardly attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most valuable common asset. My thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family,” she wrote on the X* platform.
Leaders of other European countries and international organizations also condemned the attempt to assassinate the Prime Minister of Slovakia.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was one of the first to react to the assassination attempt. “I am deeply shocked by the horrific attack on my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico,” the Hungarian leader wrote in X*, stressing that he “prays for his health and a speedy recovery.” In retweets to this publication, Ukrainian users left characteristic comments: “You’re next!”
A source from the Serbian publication Vecernje Novosti reported that Orban and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic may visit the wounded Slovak prime minister in the “next two or three days. ”
In an emergency address to the people, the current President of Slovakia Zuzana Čaputová repeated the formulation of the EC representation that “this is an attack on the individual, but also an attack on democrac,” and called on people not to make hasty conclusions and to stop the “ rhetoric of hatred.” She noted that the police had arrested the criminal and would report this soon, and wished the Prime Minister a speedy recovery.
So far, the main version of what happened is that it was the result of a wave of hatred that the current opposition has been whipping up against Fico since the parliamentary campaign last year.
He was accused of all the deadly sins - working for the Kremlin, connections with the mafia, involvement in the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak, corruption... Now these attacks have intensified again in connection with the elections to the European Parliament, scheduled for early June.
“This is the culmination of those sentiments that are cultivated in society. This is a manifestation of hatred, an attack not only on a person, but also an attack on the prime minister, as well as an attack on the very essence of statehood,” said Slovakia’s Prosecutor General Maros Zilinka. Law enforcement agencies will respond to the assassination attempt uncompromisingly and will take all actions to ensure that the culprit is uncompromisingly and fairly punished, the Prosecutor General said on social media.
A similar opinion is shared by security expert and former director of the Office for the Protection of Officials and Diplomatic Missions Juraj Zabojnik.
“Society is polarized and there are people full of hatred,” he added. However, he said the attack could have had “several reasons,” but did not specify them.
Official Moscow paused after the first reports of the assassination attempt. This is not surprising, given the unfounded accusations of the Slovak prime minister of being “pro-Russian” - the Kremlin does not want to create additional problems for one of the few adequate European politicians.
Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to the President of Slovakia in which he asked to convey to Fico “words of the most sincere support, as well as wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.”
The Russian expert community speaks out much less diplomatically.
Philosopher Alexander Dugin wrote on his Telegram channel that “the assassination attempt on Fico is another blow from the West against those who dare to object to him.” According to a man whose family became a victim of terror, “not only the Kyiv Nazis, but also the modern globalist West itself is a terrorist organization that does not know any rules.” In this regard, Dugin believes that “ Russia should offer assistance to the Slovaks in investigating this disgusting crime, and perhaps in retribution. How can little Slovakia respond to globalist terror?! But we can."
In turn, Russian publicist Sergei Mardan believes that the current assassination attempt is a real shot at Sarajevo. “ Anything can happen next, even nuclear escalation, ” he noted on Telegram. And although Juraj Cintula is nothing like Gavrilo Princip, and Robert Fico is nothing like Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the spiral of European history is often very unusual.
Tense footage captured the moment the gunman who attempted to assassinate Slovakia’s prime minister was tackled to the ground and detained by police — as it was revealed the shooting was "politically motivated."
The video, obtained by the Guardian, showed a frantic crowd mobbing an individual moments after Prime Minister Robert Fico was struck with at least one slug to the stomach on Wednesday afternoon.
Slovakia’s interior minister Matúš Šutaj-Eštok later in the day said the shooting was "politically motivated" after the country’s recent presidential election. Fico was shot five times, officials said.
The attack left Fico in "extraordinarily serious" condition and "fighting for his life," Slovakian defense minister Robert Kaliňák said in a presser hours after the shooting, the Guardian reported.
"We do not have good news at the moment and we put our hope in the hands of the medical specialists at the hospital," he said, adding the prime minister’s "health is serious, his situation is bad."
Fico remained in surgery three and a half hours after first going under the knife, Kaliňák said.
Fico’s official Facebook page called the shooting an liquidation attempt.
The shooting happened in the town of Handlova, about 90 miles northeast of the capital Bratislava, where Fico was meeting with supporters.
Video also showed guards carrying a seriously injured Fico, 59, into a black government car, which then sped off.
"At this moment he is transported by helicopter to Banská Bystrica, because it would take too long to get to Bratislava due to the necessity of an acute procedure. The next few hours will decide," the Facebook post said.
Photos from the scene showed a white middle-aged man and a bloodied head being detained by police.
It was unclear what motivated the shooting.
A staunch conservative, Fico was elected to his third term as prime minister in September after campaigning with a pro-Russian and anti-American stance.
In Slovakia, the prime minister is the most powerful office. Numerous demonstrations have been staged in Bratislava in protest of Fico’s policies since his election.
Despite the tensions, Fico’s opponents in government condemned the shooting, and even canceled a planned protest after the attack.
"We absolutely and strongly condemn violence and today’s shooting of Premier Robert Fico," progressive Slovakia leader Michal Simecka said.
"At the same time we call on all politicians to refrain from any expressions and steps which could contribute to further increasing the tension," he added.
| More courtesy of badanov: |
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
Slovak Ministry of Internal Affairs head confirmed that Fico was attacked for political reasons
[Regnum] The assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was for political reasons. The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic, Matush Shutai-Eshtok, told reporters about this on May 15.
“This assassination attempt was politically motivated,” he said.
According to the minister, the attacker could have planned the attack shortly after the country's presidential elections, the second round of which took place on April 6.
Earlier, the Slovak TV channel TA3 showed footage of an elderly man declaring his disagreement with government policy. According to the channel, the video shows an assassination suspect who was detained by the police.
As reported by IA Regnum, an attempt was made on Fico on May 15 in the city of Gandlov after a meeting of the Cabinet, when he came out to the public. The shots rang out shortly after someone shouted at the politician, “Robo, come here.” After this, Fico fell to the ground. The moment of the assassination was caught on video.
The attacker was detained. He turned out to be a 71-year-old supporter of the liberal Progressive Slovakia party, writer Juraj Cintula. Previously, he openly expressed hatred towards Fico on social networks.
The wounded prime minister was taken to a Bratislava hospital by helicopter. His condition is assessed as very serious. According to media reports, the politician suffered a hemorrhage in the abdominal cavity.
It later became known that Fico’s operation was successful, his condition is stable and he is conscious.
Fico has repeatedly condemned sanctions against Russia, noting that they harm the people of Slovakia. In one of his speeches, he expressed the opinion that Moscow is not interested in a third world war. According to the Prime Minister, the Ukrainian conflict could have been extinguished at the very beginning. The politician also stated that he would not support Ukraine’s accession to NATO. In April 2024, Fico noted that Slovakia is interested in friendly relations with Russia.
More from regnum.ru
The former head of the Kremlin protocol called the assassination attempt on Fico a failure of his security
Politicians often ignore the advice of security guards, which could also be the reason why the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico became possible. This was stated by the former head of the Kremlin’s presidential protocol, who worked under Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Shevchenko.
“As for the work of security, politicians often treat its advice without due attention,” Gazeta.ru quoted the expert as saying.
At the same time, Shevchenko noted that there are cases when security guards behave too brazenly, which negatively affects the politician’s image. But too gentle behavior can lead to an increase in the likelihood of an assassination attempt. It is difficult to find a balance, the expert noted.
In any case, Shevchenko considers it a failure of the security that they could not prevent the attempt on Fico.
As Regnum reported, Fico was shot several times on May 15 in the city of Gandlova during his communication with local residents. The prime minister was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery. According to the latest data, the operation was successful and he is conscious.
The current President of Slovakia, Zuzana Caputova, said that the shooter was detained, but did not name him. According to media reports, 71-year-old supporter of the liberal Progressive Slovakia party, writer Juraj Cintula, is accused of the assassination attempt.
Fico has repeatedly opposed the supply of weapons to Kyiv, and also called for the normalization of relations with Russia. According to the director of the Institute of Systemic Political Research and Humanitarian Projects, Anatoly Gagarin, it was the political position that could have become the reason for the assassination attempt. He also noted that the direct executor could have been used in the dark.
Even more from regnum.ru
Slovak Prime Minister Fico successfully operated on after assassination attempt
The operation of the Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico, on whom the assassination attempt was made, was successful, his condition is stable, he is conscious. The Slovak TV channel TA3 reported this on May 15.
“Fico successfully underwent surgery, his condition is stable and he is communicating,” the statement said.
It is noted that the attacker wounded the Prime Minister in the stomach, pelvis and injured a finger.
As Regnum reported, Fico was attacked on May 15 in the city of Gandlova, when he went out to talk with residents. He was shot several times by a man standing in the crowd. The victim was sent by helicopter to the hospital.
According to Slovak media reports, the attacker was detained. Allegedly, the shooter was a 71-year-old supporter of the liberal Progressive Slovakia party, writer Juraj Cintula. The current President of Slovakia, Zuzana Caputova, confirmed the detention, but did not name him.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed outrage over the assassination attempt on the Slovak prime minister. He noted Fico's courage and fortitude and wished him a speedy recovery.
Fico advocated the restoration of friendly relations with Russia, for which he was called a pro-Russian politician in the European media. Director of the Institute of Systemic Political Research and Humanitarian Projects Anatoly Gagarin believes that they tried to kill the head of government because of his political views.
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