"Filthy pigs"

Fico assassination: threats against the country’s media

Slovakian journalists in front of the court in Bratislava, where the 71-year-old assassin was remanded in custody on Saturday(Bild: APA/AFP/VLADIMIR SIMICEK)

Since the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, numerous media outlets in the country have been confronted with a wave of hatred. Journalists are being blamed for the bloody attack and threatened. Media houses have had to tighten their security measures.

"After the assassination, we immediately received threats claiming that I was involved in the murder of Fico," the editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper "Sme", Beata Balogová, told APA. "I have the same information from other editorial offices." 

"Hate mail is a cause for concern"
The public broadcaster RTVS, for example, temporarily closed part of its building. Newspapers sent their employees to work from home. "For reasons of preventive security, we have asked our colleagues to work from home, to be vigilant and to report any threats to us," said Balogová. "We have no concrete information about possible physical attacks. But the hate mail is a cause for concern."

Slovakian journalists in front of the court in Bratislava, where the 71-year-old assassin was remanded in custody on Saturday(Bild: APA/AFP/VLADIMIR SIMICEK)

For years, politicians had referred to journalists as enemies of the nation and "anti-Slovak prostitutes", Balogová reported, alluding to a quote by Fico. The latter had already called some journalists "dirty anti-Slovak whores" in 2016 and added: "I insist on this expression." In April of this year, Fico again accused the media of spreading hatred against the government. "I am just waiting for this frustration, which is so intensely stirred up by (daily newspapers and news portals, note) 'Dennik N', 'Sme' or 'Aktuality', to result in the murder of a leading government politician. And I am not exaggerating in the slightest," Fico said a few weeks ago.

"Anti-government" radio to be dissolved
But the criticism of the media was not the only issue. The government in Bratislava decided to dissolve the public broadcaster (RTVS), which was branded anti-government by the state. The parliamentary debate was scheduled for Wednesday, the day of the attack. The vote on ending the RTVS was postponed after the attack.

"Political war" against "filthy pigs"
But the political attacks against the media continue. In the official announcements of Fico's Smer SD party, "liberal media" were blamed for the attack. Journalists had radicalized people by claiming that Fico wanted to turn Slovakia into an authoritarian regime. The leader of the co-ruling nationalist party SNS, Andrej Danko, described liberal journalists as "filthy pigs" and announced a "political war". 

Due to the tense situation, the media initiated a joint open letter. "We wanted to express our deep concern that hatred is a dominant force in society and at the same time show our solidarity with Robert Fico," explained Balogová. The declaration was signed by more than 25 editors-in-chief in the country. "The assassination attempt on Robert Fico is an assassination attempt on all of us," it reads.