As Slovakian PM Robert Fico fights for his life, his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk unveils a death threat he has received on social media.
Fico remains in stable but critical condition in hospital after the shooting in a town northeast of Bratislava. On Thursday, one man was charged with the attack. Although his identity remains officially unidentified, media speculate that he is a 71-year-old writer, whom Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj-Eštok described as a “lone wolf.”
The minister also confirmed that the gunman did not belong to any political groups, despite the political motivation of the attack.
I can confirm that this person is not a member of any right-wing or left-wing radical groups.
A day after the attack, Prime Minister Donald Tusk shared a screenshot of one of the anonymous social media posts on X praising the perpetrator and calling for Tusk’s assassination.
Slovaks gave us an example of what to do with Donald Tusk if he fails on the CPK [the Central Communications Port].
The announcement implied a project by the former Law and Justice (PiS, ECR) government to build a new airport about 40 kilometres southwest of Warsaw.
Last year, a 43-year-old man received a 10-month prison sentence for threatening to kill Tusk. PiS MEP Beata Kempa, who also received a death threat in the past, recognised that the political struggle in Poland had become too fierce. She accused Tusk of using “strong language against the opposition,” which “encourages his followers to attack harder.”
Despite the fact that Tusk and Fico did not agree on many issues, including the war in Ukraine, the Polish prime minister showed solidarity with his Slovak counterpart after the shooting.
Robert, my thoughts are with you in this very difficult moment.
Other European leaders also got death threats following the attack on Fico. These include Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Serbian Republic in Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti is also on the list.
