By: P.T., A.S., J.S.
Yesterday, during the protest in Ljubljana, the police detained the president of the party Resni.ca, Zoran Stevanović.
The police requested his detention yesterday, but the head of the Ljubljana prosecutor’s office, Katarina Bergant, rejected the request. Thus, the Ljubljana prosecutor’s office is directly responsible for today’s violence in the center of the Slovenian capital.
The center of Ljubljana was heavily guarded yesterday, and the police also announced that traffic would be restricted in certain places. Nevertheless, at the initiative of Zoran Stevanović, around 3,000 people gathered on the Republic Square between 3 pm and 4 pm. Some of them strayed to the streets and roads of Ljubljana at around 4.30 pm.
Police officers told protesters to withdraw because movement was temporarily restricted under a government decree. Because they did not want to, the police used a water cannon and a tear gas canister. During the riots, they arrested the self-proclaimed musician and artist Zlatan Ćordić for disturbing public order and violent behaviour.
Most of the people of Ljubljana were very angry at the rioters, some of us could not go about our business or work. Street rampage has also been condemned by many politicians.
On the social network, the Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, praised the police officers for preventing even more serious violence on the streets of Ljubljana. The protesters or street hooligans first tried to get to Tržaška cesta, and later to take Slovenska cesta, but strong police units prevented them from doing so.
“A regular participant in Friday’s protests, Zlatan Čordić, was today one of the key individuals who violated public order and peace, disobeyed police calls and orders, and was most likely also a perpetrator of crimes,” Hojs wrote. And more:
“Congratulations to the men and women in the police for today’s prevention of violence and vandalism on the streets of Ljubljana. The ‘peaceful’ protests, which began before the government was formed and continued with Friday’s cyclists, have once again shown their true face.”
The director of the uniformed police administration, Danijel Lorbek, told national television that two protesters were injured in today’s protests, and three people were detained on suspicion of committing a crime and several people for violating the law on police duties and powers. That the protesters were really raging is evidenced by footage from a Demokracija reporter from the field.
Around 9pm, things calmed down, leaving only some violent individuals.