Fico compares Trump’s shooting to his own assassination attempt

2 months ago 15

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD/NI), who recently survived a politically motivated shooting, drew parallels between his experience and the recent assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, suggesting that their political opponents are inciting public anger and pushing individuals to resort to violence.

Reacting to the news, Fico used the incident to criticise three major Slovak media outlets, which he often refers to as “adversary media”, “anti-Slovak press”, or even “Soros’ herd of pigs”.

“Had Donald Trump’s attacker spoke Slovak, after reading Denník N, Denník SME or Aktuality.sk, it would be enough for him to feel compelled to ‘set things right’ with the disobedient former US president,” Fico wrote on Facebook on Sunday.

“It is a carbon copy scenario. Political opponents of Donald Trump are trying to imprison him, and when they don’t succeed, they enrage the public so much that some poor bugger picks up a gun,” he added.

The Slovak prime minister concluded by saying that he expected “a talk about the need for reconciliation, appeasement and forgiveness…” in the wake of the shooting, similar to the rhetoric in Slovakia after his own assassination attempt.

Despite the Slovak opposition, mainstream media and third sector condemning the violence against both Fico and Trump, members of the Slovak ruling coalition have continued to accuse them of being responsible for the attack on the Slovak prime minister.

“It is very telling that instead of a statesman-like address, Robert Fico offered Donald Trump a blueprint for exploiting the attack against independent media,” Beáta Balogová, editor-in-chief of Denník SME, said in reaction to Fico’s words.

She noted that Fico could have expressed regret or hope for the recovery of American democracy instead of attacking his perceived enemies. Balogová said Slovaks understand first-hand why there is reason to be concerned now.

“Political violence affects the whole society, and everyone is bleeding, not just the politician who has been shot. The attack on Trump will further inflame passions and deepen societal divisions,” Balogová concluded.

(Natália Silenská | Euractiv.sk)