»Violence has escalated. Antifa members attacked police officers who listed a protester who provoked in Serbian. One police officer was kicked in the back,« Nova24TV journalist Luka Svetina reports from outside Maximarket. He adds that police officers on horseback and Top News journalist Vladimir Vodušek were also attacked.
An illegal protest by extreme left-wing groups, including criminals such as Anis Ličina, is currently taking place in the Trg repubike in front of the Maximarket. As we all know, Slovenia, like most other European countries, is in the middle of the worst epidemic, so any gathering of people is illegal, as there is a high risk of coronavirus transmission (covid-19).
(Photo: PrintScreen/Twitter/LukaSvetina)
Nova24TV journalist Luka Svetina is following the events there, he shot a shocking scene of provocation by a protester who, by the way, did not speak Slovene. Among other things, he said in the Serbo-Croatian language: »Danas če biti lom«, which means that today will be a bomb.
Police officers then demanded personal documents from him, while a member of the far-left group Antifa attacked another police officer from behind and kicked him in the back. Police officers then intervened and the crowd started shouting, and the police called through a megaphone to follow the instructions of the police and not to violate public order.
The protesters then moved towards the platform of Cankarjev dom and threw firecrackers and rockets at the police throughout.
(Photo: PrintScreen/Twitter/LukaSvetina)
But the violence is only escalating. According to Svetina, the extremists with pyrotechnic devices attacked the police officers on horseback, who are doing their job – ensuring the safety of everyone. Media representatives were also attacked, including Top TV journalist Vladimir Vodušek. A police helicopter is overflying the area, and the perpetrators are surrounded by police to prevent them from escaping.
(Photo: PrintScreen/Twitter)
A few hundred of protesters gathered
Police said a few hundred people had gathered in Trg republike. »Around 5 pm, there was a mass violation of public order and the use of pyrotechnics, which led the police to disband the rally to ensure public order. The persons were repeatedly asked to leave Trg republike, but they did not comply with this order, so the police dispersed the crowd,« the police explained, adding:
»Individual groups then revolted in the area of the center of Ljubljana and did not follow the orders of the police to disperse. There were also attacks on police officers, in which individuals threw granite blocks and other objects, and the use of pyrotechnics.«
Police are currently operating in the wider city center area, trying to disperse individual groups. A water cannon was also used against persons on Slovenska cesta who did not follow orders to disperse. Police intervention is still ongoing.
Video HERE.