(16 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brussels – 16 May 2024
1. Wide of policy analyst at the European Policy Center Juraj Majcin
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Juraj Majcin, policy analyst at the European Policy Center:
"So of course it was an unprecedented event with this political act. A violent political act of this magnitude has never happened in the history of our country. But, as it is unprecedented, I would say it was not surprising because the tensions in the country are really high. We are a deeply divided and a deeply polarized society with the two camps deeply divided. On the one hand, you have supporters of the coalition and they are, I would say, anti-liberal stance. And some of them, some of these supporters are very radical. And on the other hand, you have a very frustrated, supporters of the opposition and even they increased since the presidential election that were won by the presidential candidate of the coalition. So I think that you have to see this from this context of high polarization, of high tensions."
3. Mid of Majcin on phone
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Juraj Majcin, policy analyst at the European Policy Center:
"Some leaders of the coalition already said ‘we will go to war with media, with journalists, with the opposition’. Many of them accuse the opposition straight away for being responsible for this act. So, they’re already playing the politics here. So while they are calling for calm, I think we can expect worsening of the tensions. And also, we can also expect that the government will use this, I hope that it won’t, but we can expect – and we already see signs of this being the case – of continuing in the crackdown on free media, on civil society and on the opposition."
5. Close of phone
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Juraj Majcin, policy analyst at the European Policy Center and Slovakian national:
"Many, many far right figures and far right movements are using this as an example, ‘look, this is an attack against a politician that stood for traditional values, for Christianity, for his nation’. And also Russians are using it to very well. They say, ‘now look, they attacked a person who is anti, who doesn’t support Ukraine. So Ukraine must be behind it’. So we already see this in a broader European context."
7. Close of Majcin
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Juraj Majcin, policy analyst at the European Policy Center and Slovakian national:
"It certainly won’t help the less extreme parties. So I think it will have an impact. In Slovakia, we have a very low reported turnout chronically at the European elections, it is around 13%, now they predict 30%. But we don’t know whether this will have any impact, but chances are that the people will be more motivated to go and vote for people like (Robert) Fico."
9. Wide of Majcin
STORYLINE:
The shooting of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is "unprecedented but not surprising" according to Slovak political analyst Juraj Majcin.
"The tensions in the country are really high" said Majcin, who describes a very divided country struggling with polarization.
Condemnation of the attack came from both Fico’s allies and adversaries abroad, but Majcin worries that it will soon used for political gain.
"While they are calling for calm, I think we can expect worsening of the tensions," he said.
Majcin, a Slovakian national working for the European Policy Center think tank in Brussels, Belgium, fears that this murder attempt will increase crackdown on free media, civil society and political opposition in the country.
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