By: Gal Kovač / Nova24tv.si
Robert Golob’s government has embarked on a new bizarre, if not even insulting, project towards Slovenian men and women. The campaign is called “Bite the hateful tongue!” In the second clip, which was released as part of the project, the government tries to convince Slovenians that it is not right to make fun of disabled people – as if this was not part of the basic cultural pattern of every Slovenian man or woman. The rulers are certainly aware of this. Therefore, it is much more likely that the government does not care at all about disabled people, much less about behaviour towards them, and that there is something much more perfidious behind the campaign. In the name of restricting hate speech, freedom of speech is also restricted, and thus also criticism of the authorities.
Let’s see how the government imagines a stereotypical Slovenian. In a video released by the government, this stereotypical character mocks Paralympians, recommends they be institutionalised instead of playing sports, and opposes reserved parking spaces around shopping centres. At the end, he calls a Paralympic athlete, who also appears in the clip, “crippled” and recommend that she look in the mirror. Does anyone know such a commonly and basely person? We suggest you watch the video below and judge for yourself.
Nobody we asked knew that insulting disabled people in Slovenia, in the way it is shown in the video, would be a universal problem. However, we know many politicians and political activists who are ready to abuse the fight against hate speech for general censorship and suppression of one of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution – freedom of speech. These are the same people who think that the cry “Kill Janša” or “Janša must be killed” is just a slightly more experienced expression of political views. In the past, such people have also attacked our media because we wrote completely true information that in a certain Boston hospital they offered “gender confirmation” surgeries to minors for a price. It is a euphemism, a coinage that denotes surgical removal of the breasts and pharmacological treatment with puberty blockers. The information was completely true.
We wanted Estonian digitisation; we got Iran’s moral police!
The political commentator Mitja Iršič also reacted to the offensive video online, writing the following: “We wanted Estonian form of digitisation, but we got insults from Slovenians with idiotic stereotypes and the beginnings of a liberal version of the Iranian moral police.” And indeed, a government that forms for itself parastatal police units to protect the Prime Minister, a government in which the Prime Minister says that they will never allow a member of a political party to become the president of the republic, a government in which the President of the National Assembly dances on the debate floor hall of parliament with boxing gloves, tries to convince the Slovenian people that they are so hostile that they deserve a campaign to dissuade them from it.
No one supports hate speech, and some do not support free speech
Of course, no one condones hate speech. As the government’s digital communications service notes: hate speech hurts and destroys lives. But the right of citizens not to be the target of hate speech must be weighed against freedom of speech. This is where things get complicated. Hate speech could quickly be used as a cover for limiting freedom of speech. This is extremely dangerous. As the new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk, said: “This is a battle for the future of civilisation. If freedom of speech is lost even in America, there is only tyranny ahead.” In contrast to the Americans, in Slovenia we still remember very well what it is like when there is no freedom of speech and tyranny rules. We seem to be sailing in that direction again.