Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok, head of the country’s police force, condemned violence but noted that Slovakia’s public space has long faced polarizing and dehumanizing statements, increasing societal tensions. He stated that an alleged attack on a commentator doesn’t absolve him of responsibility for inflaming emotions and dividing the public.
Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba wrote on social media that “Commentator Schutz” is known for extremely aggressive statements. Taraba, elected to the Slovak parliament in 2020 for the far-right Our Slovakia People’s Party, said that violent attacks should be condemned, even against people who belong in the hands of the law, and criticized the Slovak justice system for pretending journalists are above the law.
Police in Košice are actively investigating the attack on Schutz as an assault, with spokesperson Jana Illésová saying the journalist was discovered on the floor of the washroom by a passerby.
Slovakia has a history of media-related violence, most notably the 2018 murders of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová, which led to the government’s resignation at the time, also led by Fico.
The prime minister was severely injured in a shooting in May 2024, which he partly blamed on Slovak media.
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