STA, 25 May 2020 - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs has told the weekly Reporter that he expects the authorities to take action against the organisers of the mass anti-government protests on bicycles, which are taking place every Friday. He believes this is illegal during the coronavirus epidemic.
In an interview for the right-leaning magazine published on Monday, Hojs said that, under the law, the organisers of unregistered protests must cover the costs of security provided by the police.
The minister reiterated that the protests were illegal, "unless someone would try to explain that this was not a public gathering".
He noted that the relevant government decree said that public gatherings were prohibited, and that the latest version said that public events for up to 50 persons were allowed.
"If someone tried to explain that the protests are not public gatherings, they would go against their own common sense," Hojs said.
The police have and will be taking measures against the organisers under the law and based on the minister's guidelines.
"Although these were unregistered rallies, I expect measures against the organisers. These are the ones who had called for protests on social networks and TV studios, and even political parties were in on this."
The public assembly act stipulates that the organisers must cover the costs of police security in case of unregistered protests and Hojs expects that the police will exercise this option and charge the costs.
The minister also commented on the opening of the border with Italy, saying that it would not be fully opened until the epidemiological situation in the western neighbour was comparable to that in Slovenia.
He also pointed to what he believes are nonsensical legislative provisions preventing soldiers who help the police patrol the Schengen border from stopping or detaining illegal migrants.
Hojs said that the pandemic had halted illegal migration as the Serbian and Bosnian military had been consistently securing borders. Once this control is relaxed, a new increase in illegal crossings of the Slovenian border could be expected.
He announced that he personally would advocate the position that Croatia should be included in the Schengen Area, as this is in Slovenia's interest.
The minister also spoke of what he perceives as a "tremendous pressure" on the centre-left Modern Centre Party (SMC) and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) to leave the coalition.
"They first took aim at the SMC, and when they realised that the party is rather solid, they went after DeSUS, but apparently DeSUS is not as labile as some thought either."
According to him, it is only a matter of time when the focus will shift on Defence Minister Matej Tonin, the head of New Slovenia (NSi).
The minister believes that the main reason for reports about the alleged dissatisfaction within the coalition parties was the "media interest of 'independent journalists'".
The possibility of an early election mostly depends on the prime minister and the balance of power in parliament. "In my opinion, Janez Janša is not someone who would throw in the towel," Hojs said.
