« I strongly condemn the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico, » European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X. « Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good, » she said.
« Violence must not be existant in European politics, » German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a post on X on Wednesday, calling the attempt on Fico’s life a “cowardly attack. »
Simon Harris, Ireland’s taoiseach, or prime minister, called the assault a « shocking and vile attack on democracy » in a post on X, with leaders across Europe echoing similar sentiments.
« Shots at Robert are shots at freedom and democracy, » Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević said in a separate post, adding: « There cannot be any place for violence in politics. »
Political experts and pro-democracy advocates in Europe also weighed in, warning of concerns around the future of democratic discourse across the continent.
« Politicians & journalists are key pillars of our democratic systems. When they are targeted by any kind of violence or intimidation, we all lose. Democracy loses, » wrote Ricardo Borges de Castro, a senior adviser to the European Policy Center.
« We strongly condemn the attempted assassination of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and call for a swift, impartial investigation into today’s attack, » Freedom House, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., said Wednesday, just days after posting an analysis on how Fico’s Smer party « posed challenges to democratic resilience. »
« Such brazen political violence is completely unacceptable in any context, » said Freedom House, which Russia designated an « undesirable » organization earlier this month, effectively banning anyone from working or collaborating with the group.
