By: Sara Kovač
Death threats have begun again. The question is no longer whether political discourse in Slovenia has become brutal, but whether the competent authorities will react this time – or whether we will once again witness institutional silence, relativisation and double standards, as during the formation of Janez Janša’s third government. Let us recall that Ludvik Tomšič shouted “kill Janša” and “Janša just needs to be killed, nothing else”, yet the court acquitted him.
On the social network Facebook, a user under the fake name Wolf Wolfman posted the following: “Yesterday they enthroned on the Slovenian throne the loser of the elections and a three‑time high traitor, who should have been hanged or shot by KOS back in 1988. The battle for his defeat and resignation begins!” The post was accompanied by a photomontage showing Janez Janša standing on a wooden gallows platform with a noose around his neck, while a cheering crowd applauds in the background.
Such rhetoric is emerging at a time when political pressure has already appeared. Let us recall that less than two weeks ago, Filip Dobranić Muki publicly read out the names of MPs from Resni.ca and the Democrats and urged the gathered crowd to apply pressure. Janša warned that publicly reading out the names of political opponents and calling on crowds to pressure them is a dangerous practice with dark historical parallels, as such methods were used by the Nazis and the communists. Warnings were also voiced that such public exposure of individuals leads to harassment, threats and pressure on their family members as well.
Death threats against Janez Janša, which continue to go overlooked, are nothing new in Slovenia. The memory goes back to the beginning of Janša’s previous term, when Ludvik Tomšič shouted “kill Janša” at protests against the formation of the government and publicly stated: “Janša just needs to be killed, nothing else.” He later added: “Janša should be hit on the head with a pickaxe.” The prosecution did not treat his statements as a criminal offence under Article 297 of the Criminal Code. The court justified his acquittal by concluding, based on an expert opinion, that the accused was not mentally accountable due to a mental disorder.
Who is Wolf Wolfman?
His Facebook profile has previously been blocked and labelled as belonging to a dangerous individual. He is an enthusiast of firearms and a supporter of Russia, Palestine, Josip Broz Tito, Iran and the party Levica, or more specifically Violeta Tomić, as he commented under her post a month ago: “My voice of reason went to you.”
According to our information, the person behind the nickname Wolf Wolfman is allegedly someone named Viktor Cilenšek. As we have been able to find out, Cilenšek is said to be a member of the motorcycle club MK Volkovi from Novo mesto and has been active across various Facebook groups in expressing pro‑Russian and anti‑European positions. He wrote more about himself on the website of his now‑defunct company HERE.
He would “neutralise voters” and send Janša “into a ravine, where the Partisans threw domestic traitors.”
A review of his other publicly accessible comments likewise shows hostile rhetoric. Under a post by Violeta Tomić he wrote: “Basically, we need to find a system to neutralise those who usually get the most votes.”
Under a post by Janez Janša on the N1 portal he wrote: “He is not ready for retirement, but for the ravine, where the Partisans threw domestic traitors.” Under an article about the Ukrainian community in Slovenia he also wrote: “They should stay quiet and nothing else, otherwise we will send them home in cattle wagons. How anyone could ever feel sorry for these Nazis.”
The role of the media should not be overlooked, as they would already be stirring up hysteria if “one of the leftists” were hanging in the picture. Let us recall the media coverage of the threats against the Freedom Movement, when corpses were hanging on posters before the elections. The topic dominated front pages and prime-time news broadcasts. Today’s examples of even more aggressive symbolism and statements, however, remain ignored.
The question therefore remains open: will the competent authorities and the media take action this time, or will threats involving gallows, gunfire, and explicit mentions of the death of a political opponent once again pass without any serious response.