Agnes Szucs
15 October 2021•Update: 16 October 2021
BRUSSELS
Social media “should not be the place for personal attacks,” an EU official said on Friday concerning the Twitter messages of Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa.
“Social media should be a space for constructive and respectful debate, and should not be a place for personal attacks against individuals, private or public figures, as it was the case with the tweet mentioned," Christian Wigand, spokesperson on rule of law, said at the European Commission’s daily press briefing.
When asked about a Twitter post published on Thursday featuring a picture compilation of former and current EU lawmakers with a title of “Soros puppets in the EU Parliament,” Wigand declined to “give comments on comments,” but made some general statements.
“The (European) Commission's position on anti-Semitism is very clear. Anti-Semitism has no place in the European Union,” he noted.
Jansa’s tweet came as a reaction to the visit of the EP delegation meant to examine the situation of rule of law in Slovenia for a draft report.
The post showed George Soros, a Hungarian-American financier of Jewish origin in the center of the picture, surrounded by EU lawmakers, including Martin Schulz, the former president of the European Parliament, and Hans van Baalen, who deceased earlier this year.
It also applied a red arrow pointing at Dutch politician Sophie in’t Veld, the leader of the delegation visiting Slovenia.
David Sassoli, the president of the European Parliament, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and French State Secretary on EU affairs Clement Beaune condemned the tweet.
The Slovenian government currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU.
Jansa has already attacked Slovenian and foreign journalists on Twitter who criticized his policies.
