“Robo [diminutif pour Robert], come here. » The arrest is followed by a volley of five shots, only interrupted by the big guns of the government security service who immediately pounce. Too late. The Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico, collapsed, before being taken into the panic, doubled over, in his black limousine. Everything happened so quickly that many of the Slovaks gathered this Wednesday, May 15 in front of the house of culture in Handlova, a small town located in the center of the country, initially did not seem to have noticed anything.
It’s only once the shooter is pinned to the ground and handcuffed that they understand. Anger rises. “Asshole”, “Kill him immediately”shout to the police the few retirees who had come to support the head of government during the council of ministers which he had chosen to relocate to Handlova, where a meeting of his party was also to take place for the European elections in June.
Taken immediately by helicopter to the neighboring town of Banska Bystrica, the 59-year-old leader was hit by “several bullets”, according to the government, including one in the abdomen. He left the operating room late on Wednesday evening after several hours of operation and his condition was said to have stabilized. “We think he will be strong enough to handle this trauma”had hoped the Slovak Defense Minister, Robert Kalinak, visibly very moved, speaking from the hospital early in the evening.
Immediately qualified “attack on democracy” by Slovak President Zuzana Caputova – President-elect Peter Pellegrini will be inaugurated on June 15 – this attack is an unprecedented episode of violence in the history of this small Central European country of 5.5 million people. residents.
According to Slovak media, the person arrested is a 71-year-old man from a small town located an hour’s drive from Handlova. A former supermarket security guard, he had founded a small literature club and wrote poetry in his spare time, without ever having succeeded in breaking through. He posted a video seven years ago on YouTube where he said he wanted to launch a political party ” against violence ” while also having published texts deeply hostile to migrants or Roma. He also frequented a group of pro-Russian paramilitary militiamen in 2016, but also participated in pro-European demonstrations in recent months.
An electric political atmosphere
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