By: Nova24tv.si
Golob’s government warns on social media platforms X and Facebook that exclusion is not harmless. “Being overlooked, ignored, or excluded hurts,” they state. One can certainly agree with this, but at the same time, one might ask why they themselves contribute to exclusion in practice.
“Being overlooked, ignored, or excluded hurts. Exclusion is not harmless – it is a form of violence that leaves marks,” the government emphasises, adding that everyone can contribute to a more tolerant society: “Listen and hear. Do not participate in excluding others. Show that everyone is worthy of respect. Accept, connect, support! Together, we can kick out violence.” They also call on people to join the campaign “Kick Out Violence”.
Persecuting Janša supporters does not seem problematic to them
With their statement, the authorities have linked themselves to the promotion of an RTVS campaign, in which three ambassadors create content aimed at engaging young people and encouraging them to build a more tolerant world. However, it is difficult for the government to serve as a role model for youth when it actively practices exclusion itself – specifically by persecuting Janša supporters. Opposition SDS leader Janez Janša pointed this out to the government in a post on the social media platform X, writing: “Of course. Purge Janša supporters. Death to Janšism. Death to Janša! Sounds familiar, Government of the Republic of Slovenia? And very educational for the youth, is it not?”
Moreover, they do not even try to hide their fight against Janšism. Let’s not forget that Prime Minister Robert Golob openly admitted on the public television show Odmevi that he is purging Janšism from the police and RTVS. When confronted with accusations by former Minister of the Interior Tatjana Bobnar and former Chief of Police Boštjan Lindav, Golob stated: “The only conversation I had with them, especially with Lindav, was before the government even took office. The government took office on June 1st, and I spoke with them in May last year. Our common goal was to cleanse Slovenia, in this case, also the police, of Janšism.” He also added: “And if anyone knows, you certainly do – on RTV, we have all committed to cleansing it of Janšism, and I know you understand exactly what that means.”
They are waging an open war against doctors
On top of everything, the current government is openly targeting doctors. Specifically, the Prime Minister has labelled doctors as rotten apples and even claimed that some do little or no work at all. But he did not stop there. In his latest interview with N1, he went a step further and referred to doctors who practice both publicly and privately as parasites.
The Slovenian Medical Chamber and the Fides union have been consistently critical of the Prime Minister’s expressed intolerance. According to STA, the Medical Chamber emphasised that Golob’s statement was “deeply inappropriate, offensive, and crosses the boundaries of acceptable public discourse”. They argue that such rhetoric is completely irresponsible because “it deepens distrust in the healthcare system, undermines the reputation of doctors, and does not contribute to finding solutions for the serious problems Slovenian healthcare faces daily.” They further state that they “never imagined that the medical profession, which has cared for the health and lives of people in this country for decades, would become the target of such indecent and sweeping attacks from the highest representative of authority.” Fides, which considers Golob’s remark completely unacceptable, warns that it is alarming that the Prime Minister makes such a statement at a time “when the Slovenian public healthcare system is under severe pressure, understaffed, and on the brink of collapse”. They add that such statements “actively discourage young doctors from working in the public sector and deepen the existing staffing crisis”.
It often happens in practice that those who accuse others of intolerance are the most intolerant themselves. Since adults should set a good example for young people, it would be wise to take a good look in the mirror – otherwise, we cannot expect greater tolerance in society in the future, only more division, which is already overwhelming.
“Look in the mirror! You exclude everyone who supports SDS and Janez Janša. Even worse, you harass them and fire them from their jobs. You are cleansing just like totalitarians did. And at the same time, you insult doctors, calling them parasites, rotten apples, and amphibians. Shame!” criticised SDS MP Alenka Jeraj in light of recent statements. “Do not be like Robi. Do not exclude,” said Dr Igor Muževič, president of the Family Medicine Doctors’ Union, in a pointed message.
