We are writing to you with worrying information about the events in the center of

Ljubljana in recent weeks. We have received several reports of physical attacks on

foreigners by groups of masked men. The attacks take place in the afternoon and

evening hours, when foreigners are returning from work and changing buses at

Bavarski dvor or at the main bus station.

According to publicly available posts on social media and testimonies from the

victims, the far-right group Slovenska obrambna straža (Slovenian Defense Guard)

is behind these attacks. On its profile https://www.instagram.com/

slo.obrambna.straza, it posted a photo of a bloodied sidewalk at Bavarski dvor in a

story with the caption: “In Slovenia, migrant bullying/harassment has

consequences… This is not France/Germany etc. Kudos to the guys!” (https://

www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MDg3NTEyODg0OTE1MjMw?

story_media_id=3844135969547710704&igsh=MXZkeHB6ajEyN2Y5eQ%3D%3D )

. It was an attack on an Indian citizen who was returning home on the evening of

27.2. The group knocked him to the ground from behind and started kicking and

beating him until he was completely bloodied, and then they ran away. Just a few

days later, a black man had a similar experience at the bus station, where masked

men sprayed him with tear gas. According to our information, at least four such

attacks on foreigners have been officially recorded in the vicinity of the bus station

in recent weeks, and even more attacks occurred at Bavarski dvor and near

Ajdovščina.

It is not only worrying that a group of violent people are carrying out hateful attacks

in the middle of Ljubljana and even bragging about them on social media, but also

that there is no serious action by the police. These attacks take place near a police

station, in a very busy area with high police surveillance, and they continue despite

reports to the police. Moreover, part of the blame undoubtedly lies with the police

themselves, as they do not treat the attacks with the seriousness they deserve.

Foreigners are most often dismissed or even blamed for the violence. The case of

the attacked Indian citizen is telling enough: after the attack, with his face black

from blows and blood, he went to the nearby police station to file a report, but

there he was left to bleed in the waiting room for a good hour, without anyone

offering him any help. Even worse was the procedure, as the police blamed the

physical disfigurement on the victim himself - they interpreted the injuries as the

result of a "failed robbery attempt" allegedly committed by the foreigner. It is a

continuation of the common trend of blaming victims. In October, three Burundian

citizens were physically attacked in the center of Ljubljana, but in the end they

themselves received notifications that they were suspected of commiting a violent

crime. And in many cases where foreigners were attacked, the police did not even

take their statements, but only recorded the statements of the attackers and wrote

out fines to the foreign citizens. In this way, victims are discouraged from reporting

the crimes.