Assassination Attempt on Robert Fico Sparks Surge in Death Threats Against European Politicians — PM Orbán Also Targeted
Robert Fico and Viktor Orbán’s joint press conference at the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest on 16 January 2024.
Szilárd Koszticsák/MTI
The attempted assassination of Robert Fico has led to a significant rise in death threats against European leaders, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Máté Kocsis, the Fidesz parliamentary group leader, attributes this escalation partly to left-wing media, accusing them of mastering hate speech and biased reporting.
Following the attempted assassination of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday, the incidence of death threats against European leaders has escalated. POLITICO recently reported that Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo has filed a complaint against a local radio presenter who allegedly incited listeners to shoot him. ‘The journalist called on listeners to “go ahead despite the security around that guy” and referred to the attack on Prime Minister Fico in Slovakia,’ De Croo’s Communications Director Barend Leyts said in a post on social media.
Premier @alexanderdecroo heeft klacht ingediend tegen de presentator die opriep om de “eerste minister neer te knallen”.
De journalist riep luisteraars op om “hun gang te gaan ondanks de beveiliging rond die vent” en verwijst naar de aanval op premier Fico in Slovakije.
Additionally, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk shared a post on X in which a user wrote: ‘The Slovaks have given us an example of what to do with Donald Tusk if he fails on the CPK.’ This death threat referred to the Central Communications Port, a mega-project initiated by the former Law and Justice (PiS) government to construct a new airport from scratch approximately 40 kilometres southwest of Warsaw. Tusk’s new government has expressed skepticism about this project. Another user wrote: ‘Fico was shot today. Tusk has fear in his eyes, does he expect something?’
According to Euractiv, other European leaders have also received death threats following the attack on Fico. These include Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Serb Republic in Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
As the European elections draw near, divisions across Europe are more pronounced than ever. A significant factor, among others, is the continued demonization of right-wing parties and leaders. In the wake of the attempted assassination of Robert Fico, the comment sections of various left-wing Hungarian media outlets were overrun with hateful remarks. Many users drew parallels between Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with some even
expressing wishes for Orbán’s demise.
Comments like: ‘Slovakia is ahead in this too…’ and ‘We welcome this man (the perpetrator – ed.) to Hungary’ illustrate the severity of these sentiments. This hostility represents just the tip of the iceberg.
Máté Kocsis, the parliamentary group leader of Fidesz, also addressed the issue. ‘In the coming period, the legislature should consider how to manage these inflammatory comment sections. It has escalated to the extent that it has contributed to the events in Slovakia. In Hungary, we must curb this verbal violence, this virtual civil war,’ Kocsis stated in an interview with Inforádió, reviewed by Index.
Kocsis further suggested that media outlets should also reflect on their role in permitting hate speech to proliferate on their platforms. He highlighted that newspapers have a responsibility, noting that much of this content goes unmoderated.
‘I also personally hold many left-wing media outlets in Hungary responsible, as they excel at inciting hatred, biased reporting, and stigmatizing others. This includes Telex, HVG, 444, among others. The list could go on.’
As reported by Hungarian Conservative, Robert Fico was shot multiple times in the Slovak town of Handlová (in Hungarian, Nyitrabánya) on Wednesday afternoon. The bullets hit the Slovak PM in the abdomen and shoulder. Fico was rushed to hospital by helicopter, where he underwent a nearly five hours long life-saving operation. According to Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák, Fico underwent another surgery on Friday, and his condition remains very serious.
Related articles:
At a time when public debate is increasingly polarized and superficial, Hungarian Conservative remains committed to depth, intellectual honesty, and independent conservative thought.
Producing high-quality journalism requires resources. Your contribution helps us expand our coverage, reach new audiences, and keep our content accessible.
The attempted assassination of Robert Fico has led to a significant rise in death threats against European leaders, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Máté Kocsis, the Fidesz parliamentary group leader, attributes this escalation partly to left-wing media, accusing them of mastering hate speech and biased reporting.
Joakim Scheffer graduated from the University of Szeged with a Master’s degree in International Relations. Before joining Hungarian Conservative, he worked as an editor at the foreign policy desk of Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet. In addition to his role at Hungarian Conservative, he serves as the editor of Eurasia magazine.
To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Assassination Attempt on Robert Fico Sparks Surge in Death Threats Against European Politicians — PM Orbán Also Targeted
Assassination Attempt on Robert Fico Sparks Surge in Death Threats Against European Politicians — PM Orbán Also Targeted
Robert Fico and Viktor Orbán’s joint press conference at the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest on 16 January 2024.
Szilárd Koszticsák/MTI
Following the attempted assassination of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday, the incidence of death threats against European leaders has escalated. POLITICO recently reported that Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo has filed a complaint against a local radio presenter who allegedly incited listeners to shoot him. ‘The journalist called on listeners to “go ahead despite the security around that guy” and referred to the attack on Prime Minister Fico in Slovakia,’ De Croo’s Communications Director Barend Leyts said in a post on social media.
Additionally, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk shared a post on X in which a user wrote: ‘The Slovaks have given us an example of what to do with Donald Tusk if he fails on the CPK.’ This death threat referred to the Central Communications Port, a mega-project initiated by the former Law and Justice (PiS) government to construct a new airport from scratch approximately 40 kilometres southwest of Warsaw. Tusk’s new government has expressed skepticism about this project. Another user wrote: ‘Fico was shot today. Tusk has fear in his eyes, does he expect something?’
According to Euractiv, other European leaders have also received death threats following the attack on Fico. These include Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Serb Republic in Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
As the European elections draw near, divisions across Europe are more pronounced than ever. A significant factor, among others, is the continued demonization of right-wing parties and leaders. In the wake of the attempted assassination of Robert Fico, the comment sections of various left-wing Hungarian media outlets were overrun with hateful remarks. Many users drew parallels between Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with some even
Comments like: ‘Slovakia is ahead in this too…’ and ‘We welcome this man (the perpetrator – ed.) to Hungary’ illustrate the severity of these sentiments. This hostility represents just the tip of the iceberg.
Máté Kocsis, the parliamentary group leader of Fidesz, also addressed the issue. ‘In the coming period, the legislature should consider how to manage these inflammatory comment sections. It has escalated to the extent that it has contributed to the events in Slovakia. In Hungary, we must curb this verbal violence, this virtual civil war,’ Kocsis stated in an interview with Inforádió, reviewed by Index.
Kocsis further suggested that media outlets should also reflect on their role in permitting hate speech to proliferate on their platforms. He highlighted that newspapers have a responsibility, noting that much of this content goes unmoderated.
‘I also personally hold many left-wing media outlets in Hungary responsible, as they excel at inciting hatred, biased reporting, and stigmatizing others. This includes Telex, HVG, 444, among others. The list could go on.’
As reported by Hungarian Conservative, Robert Fico was shot multiple times in the Slovak town of Handlová (in Hungarian, Nyitrabánya) on Wednesday afternoon. The bullets hit the Slovak PM in the abdomen and shoulder. Fico was rushed to hospital by helicopter, where he underwent a nearly five hours long life-saving operation. According to Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák, Fico underwent another surgery on Friday, and his condition remains very serious.
Related articles:
At a time when public debate is increasingly polarized and superficial, Hungarian Conservative remains committed to depth, intellectual honesty, and independent conservative thought.
Producing high-quality journalism requires resources. Your contribution helps us expand our coverage, reach new audiences, and keep our content accessible.
Please consider supporting our mission.
PISA Shows Gen Alpha Can’t Read. The Problem Goes Far beyond School
Austria Denies Filing EU Complaint over Paks Sill, Rebuffing PM Magyar
Europion Poll Shows Tisza Losing Ground as Fidesz Makes Small Gains
READ NEXT
Austria Denies Filing EU Complaint over Paks Sill, Rebuffing PM Magyar
Europion Poll Shows Tisza Losing Ground as Fidesz Makes Small Gains
Hungary End 40-Year World Cup Drought, Face Unbeaten US in Berlin Quarter-Final
CITATION