Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who survived an assassination attempt in the town of Handlová (Nyitrabánya in Hungarian) on 15 May, appeared on camera for the first time since the incident. In a 14-minute video posted on his Facebook page, Fico blamed the opposition for the attempt on his life.
‘On 15 May, an activist of the Slovak opposition tried to assassinate me in Handlová because of my political views,’ the Slovak Prime Minister claimed. He added that the attack had caused very serious damage to his health, requiring several operations and resulting in a lot of pain and suffering. He described it as a miracle that he had returned to politics in such a short time. He noted that, if all goes well,
he could be back at full strength by July.
Fico also addressed the perpetrator in his message. ‘I forgive him and let him sort out what he did and why he did it in his own head. In the end, it is evident that he was only a messenger of evil and political hatred, which the politically unsuccessful and frustrated opposition has developed in Slovakia to unmanageable proportions,’ he said.
He also warned that it was to be expected that ‘anti-government media, foreign-funded political NGOs, and the opposition’ would begin to downplay his assassination attempt, claiming it was ‘only an attack by a deranged person.’
‘I want to ask the anti-government media, especially those that are co-owned by the financial structure of George Soros, not to go down this road…I have no reason to believe this was an attack by a lone madman,’ Fico pointed out.
He ended the video by thanking people for their support and issuing another warning to the opposition. ‘If it continues as it is now, the horror of 15 May, which you all had the opportunity to see practically live, will continue, and there will be more victims. I do not doubt it, not for a second,’ he said.
The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) immediately reacted to Fico’s accusations. ‘I am glad that Robert Fico is feeling better. Unfortunately, nothing has changed in his politics,’ said Michal Šimečka, the chairman of the leading opposition party. ‘For 14 minutes, the Prime Minister blamed the media, the opposition, artists, the EU, and our foreign partners,’ he continued, describing the video’s content as ‘a political disappointment’.
‘Instead of actively contributing to social reconciliation, he called the assassin an ‘activist of the political opposition’ and repeated conspiracies about a global Soros plot against Slovakia. I am truly sorry,’ Šimečka added.
As reported by Hungarian Conservative, Robert Fico was shot on 15 May in the town of Handlová. Fico was rushed to the hospital by helicopter, where he underwent a nearly four-hour-long life-saving operation. Doctors reportedly removed part of Fico’s small intestine due to heavy bleeding in his abdominal cavity. The Slovak PM had another surgery two days after the assassination attempt.
The tragic events shocked the international community. On behalf of the Hungarian government, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was the first to react. ‘I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico. We pray for his health and quick recovery! God bless him and his country!’ PM Orbán wrote on X.
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