By: A. H. (Nova24tv)
After the memorial ceremony in remembrance of the victims of post‑war revolutionary violence in Kočevski Rog, a chilling post appeared on the social network Facebook, one that can be understood as a threat and a call for possible reprisals against those who think differently.
“If the saying ‘Blood is thicker than water’ is true, then we should remember the participants of today’s mass in Kočevski Rog. Another saying tells us that history repeats itself, and if it really does, it will be useful to know who the descendants of the traitors of the Slovenian nation are,” reads the post published by the Primorski Puntarji in connection with the event.
The Primorski Puntarji were apparently deeply disturbed by the scenes from yesterday’s memorial ceremony, which this year was held for the first time directly at the chasm under Macesnova Gorica, one of the largest and most shocking killing sites from the period after the end of the Second World War, where the remains of approximately 3,450 victims, mostly of Slovenian origin, have been excavated so far.
The specific post they published is difficult to interpret as anything other than a hint at a possible renewed revolutionary settling of scores with the descendants of people whom the authors consider “traitors of the Slovenian nation”. Among those present were the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša and his wife, the president of the New Slovenian Covenant Matija Ogrin, numerous representatives of the SDS and NSi parties (Aleš Hojs, Alenka Jeraj, Jože Tanko, Helena Jaklitsch, Jernej Vrtovec, Iva Dimic, Janez Žakelj, Luka Simonič, Vida Čadonič Špelič, Zala Tomašič, Adrijana Kocjančič, Franci Kepa…), former Constitutional Court judge Dr Klemen Jaklič, the Archbishop of Ljubljana Anton Jamnik, the Bishop of Novo mesto Dr Andrej Saje, many relatives of the victims, and others. So, as we can see, even the relatives of the victims, who already suffer deeply because of the tragic fate of their loved ones, are being targeted.
They responded to an NSi post
The Primorski Puntarji published their statement as a reaction to a Facebook post by the coalition party New Slovenia, which emphasised the importance of a dignified burial for all victims. In their post, NSi wrote: “By attending today’s memorial mass in Kočevski Rog, we emphasise the importance of a dignified burial for all the dead. The recently adopted law is a step toward Slovenia demonstrating its social maturity and respect for basic civilisational norms.”
Regarding the post by the Primorski Puntarji, who present themselves on Facebook as an alliance of insurgent groups from the Primorska region whose aim is to return the country to the citizens of Slovenia, it must be noted that the wording in no way comes across as an innocent historical remark, but rather as a chilling hint at events in which tens of thousands of people were killed without any judicial process.
Because the post contains elements of a threat, the question arises whether the competent authorities will examine the matter. A respectful remembrance of the dead should represent the most basic common denominator in any democratic society. Yet some people in Slovenia, even though it is already 2026, still seem unable to manage that. With posts like this one, there is an attempt to relativise the events that took place after the end of the Second World War, events that represent one of the darkest chapters of Slovenian history, and this is simply unacceptable. It remains true that those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it.