By Jože Biščak and Vinko Vasle
»When Janša and Hojs took a short break on the bench in front of the cottage on Kredarica, they were insultingly verbally attacked by Tea Jarc and her comrades (who were jumping on the tables in the meantime). Since there was a possibility that they would also be physically attacked, they later withdrew. This was not just an attack on Slovenian statesmen and politicians, it was an attack on the Prime Minister of the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU,« wrote the editor of Demokracija magazine Jože Biščak and publicist Vinko Vasle in a new letter to Brussels.
We publish their letter in full:
»Dear Brussels officials, the global media mainstream and all those who naively believed the information of the Slovenian left and self-proclaimed civil society in recent months and expressed concern about democracy and freedom, read this story and then, if you still have some pride and conscience, respond. Our letter will be very short, as the video at the end (despite not being translated) is eloquent enough in itself.
On Friday, 20 August, Prime Minister Janez Janša and Interior Minister Aleš Hojs visited the Slovenian mountains. On a short break on Kredarica (below Triglav), they were intercepted by a group led by left-wing trade unionist, activist and protester Tea Jarc. Whether they were intercepted by chance or someone informed them that Janša and Hojs would be at the cottage on Kredarica at that time does not even matter at the moment (this is a matter for the security services, as Janša and Hojs are protected persons). What happened next shows who the protesters really are: the ones you keep defending all the time, saying that the conservative Slovenian government is preventing them from peaceful and free protests; the ones protected by ‘independent’ media, which actively help them create disorder.
However, after the actual spitting of right-wing MPs (in front of the parliament building) and after showing bare buttocks and destroying property, these ‘peaceful protesters’ went a step further. When Janša and Hojs took a short break on the bench in front of the cottage on Kredarica, they were insultingly verbally attacked by Tea Jarc and her comrades (who were jumping on the tables in the meantime). Since there was a possibility that they would also be physically attacked, they later withdrew. But before leaving, Janez Janša – whom you accuse of leading Slovenia into an illiberal and undemocratic society – just sat still, he just smiled. He did not respond to insults, lies, spitting all over.
Think about how the statesmen of the ‘core countries’ of the EU would react in such a case. Most likely, such an attack would be assessed as a high level of risk for a physical attack on a protected person. And security guards would also remove people who verbally assaulted a protected person (if they were there). But no, Janez Janša and Aleš Hojs did not do that, they did not call the security authorities, even if they could; people in such positions are entitled to this in all countries. Last but not least, this was an attack on the Prime Minister of the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU. But who would expect something like this in the mountains, where people have an even more respectful attitude towards each other?
By their actions, Janša and Hojs have shown and proved that they understand freedom and democracy much better than those whom you protect and defend. We don’t know how much you risk your reputation, and we wouldn’t talk too much about it, because, at least it seems to us, you have already wasted your reputation by repeating lies and manipulations about Slovenia or information about Slovenia that you received from leftists and are extremely one-sided.
Dear Brussels officials, the global media mainstream and other addressees, we do not expect you to come forward. We won’t even blame you for that. We respect that you respond when you want to. It would be very undemocratic on our part to demand an answer from you. We just want you to know what is really happening in Slovenia; who is really inclined to totalitarianism and the policy of exclusion; who would really like to prevent different opinions and who is really calling for violence and using this violence himself. Keep this in mind the next time you talk about something related to Slovenia.
Of course, we also do not want you to experience an attack like the one experienced by Janša and Hojs – which they endured with dignity, as only few statesmen would.
So much briefly. And stay healthy. We are cheering for you so that you will finally be able to see who is lying about Slovenia and who is telling the truth.«
ože Biščak is the editor-in-chief of the conservative-oriented magazine Demokracija, president of the Slovenian Association of Patriotic Journalists and author of the books Zgodbe iz Kavarne Hayek, Zapisi konservativnega liberalca and Potovati z Orwellom.
Vinko Vasle is a longtime journalist and editor, former director of the national Radio Slovenia and the author of several novels, including Purgarji, Darovalec, Arhivar, Prva hiša na Marsu and Pisma podpore in upora.