Slovak politicians and media have called for a stop to further escalation of rhetoric and hate speech following the assassination attempt on prime minister Robert Fico.
Fico sustained severe injuries in the shooting on Wednesday (15 May) as he approached a public gathering in Handlova, western Slovakia. He underwent a five-hour-long operation and is in a stable but serious condition in Banska Bystrica hospital.
“It was a politically-motivated act,” minister of the interior, Matus Sutaj Estok, stated after the Slovak security council and government emergency session on Thursday.
"Unfortunately, I cannot yet state that we are winning, or that the prognosis is positive, as the extent of the injuries caused by the four gunshot wounds is so extensive that his body's response will still be very demanding," said vice-premier and defence minister, Robert Kalinak.
The 71-year-old alleged gunman, an amateur writer and retired security service employee, was charged with attempted premeditated murder. He could face from 25 years up to a lifetime in prison for attacking a “protected person”, under Slovakia's constitution.
“I can confirm that the suspect is not a member of any radicalised political group, neither rightwing nor leftwing,” Estok said, adding that the man was prompted to take action after the presidential elections in April.
Estok added that the attacker was deeply engaged in political matters: he disagreed with Fico's stopping of military aid to Ukraine, the closure of the special prosecutor's office, interventions in the RTVS public broadcaster, or the removal of the chairman of the judicial council.
The shooting has been generally referred to by Slovak politicians and media as an assault against the democratic establishment.
"What happened yesterday was an individual act, but the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work," said president Zuzana Caputova at a joint briefing with president-elect Peter Pellegrini.
Caputova and Pellegrini warned against a “vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations” among politicians, media and popular opinion-makers. They announced their plan to invite political leaders to the presidential palace for round table talks to calm the situation.
“I call on all political parties to temporarily suspend or at least significantly tone down the campaign in the run-up to the European Parliament election because the campaign brings confrontation,” said Pellegrini.
Both coalition and opposition parties welcomed the move and some confirmed they are suspending the campaign or cancelling large public pre-election events.
Initial reactions
However, Thursday's calls for reconciliation came hot on the heels of an escalation of emotions and critical remarks by politicians in their first reactions to the attack.
“It was your job,” parliament vice-chairman Lubos Blaha said, after he interrupted the live parliamentary session and speech of an opposition MP on Wednesday to inform parliament that Fico had been shot, seemingly blaming the opposition.
Andrej Danko, the chairman of the junior coalition Slovak National Party, reacted by saying the assault had triggered a “political war,” adding that the ruling coalition would now stop hesitating to “push for changes.”
Several other government and ruling coalition members accused the opposition and journalists of spreading hatred against Fico.
Minister Kalinak also specifically addressed the media on Thursday and urged for less confrontational political talk shows. “Let's try to embrace the path of tolerance together," he said.
For their part, editors-in-chief of the main Slovak media condemned the attack and wished Fico a speedy recovery. However, they urged politicians to stop dividing society.
“If hatred is released into the public space, it cannot be controlled and we are all at risk,” they stated in a joint letter.
Political analysts, however, pointed out that for several years Fico himself and his Smer-SD party have played an active role in the confrontational rhetoric and attacks against mainstream media.
Blaha, the party's number two candidate for the European Parliament, and known for his strong pro-Russia stance and criticism of the EU, had previously been forced to remove social media posts with untrue and offensive claims about president Caputova, following a court verdict.
He had also downplayed death threats to a political TV show presenter, and vehemently criticised the public RTVS broadcaster for their news reporting.
Lucia Virostkova is a freelance journalist and assistant professor at the department of journalism of Comenius University in Bratislava. She has worked for the public TV and radio and published with several Slovak newspapers.
Lucia Virostkova is a freelance journalist and assistant professor at the department of journalism of Comenius University in Bratislava. She has worked for the public TV and radio and published with several Slovak newspapers.