attack
Slovakian head of government in mortal danger after shots fired
Bodyguards bring Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico to safety in a car from the scene of the incident. photo
© Radovan Stoklasa/TASR/dpa
Prime Minister Fico wants to speak to citizens after a meeting when shots are fired. The attack apparently had a political background.
The assassination attempt on the Slovak Prime Minister According to the government’s assessment, Robert Fico had a “political motive.” Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said this to journalists in the evening at the clinic in Banska Bystrica where Fico was operated on. The 59-year-old’s condition remains life-threatening.
The left-wing nationalist politician was flown to a hospital by helicopter after the bloody crime in the town of Handlova. The hospital in the regional capital Banska Bystrica imposed an information blackout. Police said the attacker had been arrested. According to eyewitnesses, after a cabinet meeting, an older man shot Fico several times as he tried to greet supporters at the door. The motive initially remained unclear. Politicians around the world reacted with dismay, including US President Joe Biden and Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Just a few days ago, Fico accused the liberal opposition of fomenting a climate of hostility against his government. Given the heated atmosphere, it cannot be ruled out that an act of violence could occur at some point.
One of Slovakia’s most popular politicians
The founder and head of the left-wing party Smer-SSD, which has recently become increasingly nationalistic, has been one of the most popular politicians in Slovakia for almost 30 years. But at the same time he polarizes Slovak society like no other. Opponents call him “pro-Russian” and accuse him of wanting to lead Slovakia on a similar course to Viktor Orban’s Hungary.
Eyewitnesses reported on the TA3 news channel that five shots were fired in front of the cultural center in Handlova when Fico went outside to shake hands. A shot hit him in the chest. The local television RTV Prievidza published a video of the crime: You can see a man pushing himself against the fence and shooting at the Prime Minister from close range, who then collapses. Another video shows Fico being dragged by companions to a company limousine to bring him to safety.
Impressions from on site
A reporter from public television RTVS, who was able to see the perpetrator up close after the arrest, described him as an older man. He appeared disoriented and had blood on his forehead. But that was probably because the police officers overpowered him and pushed him to the ground.
The Slovakian Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok called for moderation after the attack. The shooting of Fico was an “assassination on democracy.” It is now the common task of everyone in Slovakia to immediately stop the spread of political hatred.
President Zuzana Caputova also said it was also an attack on democracy. “Any violence is unacceptable. The hateful rhetoric we have witnessed in society is leading to hateful actions. Please, let’s stop this.”
Climate between government and opposition poisoned
Despite her great popularity, the liberal president did not apply for a second term in office because, in her own words, she no longer had the strength after years of political crises and several changes of government. The climate between the government and the opposition is considered poisonous.
US President Joe Biden spoke of a “terrible act of violence”. “Our thoughts are with his family and the Slovak people,” he said. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called the assassination attempt on Fico “unbearable.” “I wish him that he recovers well from this cowardly attack,” said Scholz.
Fico is controversial in Europe because of his often exaggerated formulations on the EU’s Ukraine and Russia policy. During the election campaign for the parliamentary election in autumn 2023, which he won, he made people sit up and take notice with the announcement that he no longer wanted to supply “cartridges” of weapons to Ukraine. In fact, since Fico’s return to government in October, Slovakia has not supported all EU sanctions against Russia and has also not agreed to all EU aid to Ukraine – including the use of frozen Russian funds for Ukraine and support for Ukraine’s accession to the EU but to NATO.
Contrary to misleading media reports, Fico does not fundamentally reject the sanctions against Russia. However, he criticizes the fact that some of them are doing more harm to Slovakia, which is dependent on Russian gas, oil and uranium, than to Russia itself. Instead, he is calling for sanctions that would hit Russia more severely.