Slovakia’s Robert Fico has blamed the press for creating the environment of hate that impressed a gunman to shoot him within the abdomen in Could
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused journalists from main media retailers of being “possessed by the satan” and threatened to ascertain a nationwide media watchdog, together with introducing skilled qualification exams to rein within the “hate” they unfold by means of their articles.
Fico made these feedback throughout a press convention on Tuesday, the place he turned visibly agitated when requested about tensions inside his three-party governing coalition.
”From the primary day, when the outcomes of the parliamentary elections got here in, you went in opposition to us like bloodthirsty bastards from morning to nighttime,” Fico mentioned, dismissing any notion of a authorities disaster.
“Do you learn your articles after you’ve written them? I don’t assume you do… It’s pure hate. You’re possessed by the satan,” he added. He singled out main Slovak every day papers Dennik N and Sme, in addition to the Aktuality.sk portal, which have been important of his authorities since he returned to energy for a fourth time period after his Slovak Social Democracy (SMER-SD) social gathering gained the election final September.
You simply wish to do fallacious at any price, and that’s why the environment in Slovakia is like this. Why did they shoot me within the abdomen?
The prime minister expressed help for establishing a “nationwide media authority” and “sanctions” for journalists who fail to right errors of their reporting. He additionally instructed that journalists ought to bear requalification programs, just like these required for legal professionals and public notaries.
”It’s best to maybe even be a part of some skilled associations, the place you’ll face disciplinary procedures, just like legal professionals,” Fico mentioned, stressing that his authorities must take motion as a result of “such a media mess as we’ve in Slovakia doesn’t exist in another EU nation.”
These feedback sparked criticism from opposition politicians, with some accusing Fico of attacking freedom of speech. “The thought of a nationwide media authority that will management journalists is nothing greater than a thinly veiled effort to censor and restrict the media, which exists maybe solely in North Korea,” mentioned MP Zora Jaurova from the liberal opposition social gathering Progressive Slovakia. The chair of the For the Folks social gathering, Veronika Remisova, acknowledged that by referring to journalists as bloodthirsty bastards, the PM and his “cronies” are themselves spreading hatred.
Fico beforehand argued that the assassination try that almost killed him in Could originated from foreign-backed politicians who refuse to just accept insurance policies prioritizing Bratislava’s pursuits over the agendas of main Western powers. He additionally warned in opposition to efforts by adversaries – together with media retailers bankrolled by billionaire political activist George Soros – to downplay the implications of the tried assassination.
”I wish to ask the anti-government media, particularly these co-owned by George Soros’ monetary construction, to not go down this path and to respect not solely the gravity of the explanations for the tried homicide but additionally the results of this try,” Fico mentioned in June.
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