STA, 25 January 2020 - After another spray-painting of the Slovenian names on bilingual city limit signs in Austria's Carinthia, Slovenian minority organisations again condemned the incidents and called on the authorities to conduct a systematic and organised campaign to find the perpetrators. The Slovenian Foreign Ministry also expressed concern.
About a week ago, unknown perpetrators spray-painted the Slovenian names on bilingual city limit signs in the municipalities of Bleiburg (Pliberk in Slovenian) and Eberndorf (Dobrla Vas).
Another six signs were vandalised in the same way in Eberndorf last weekend.
Responding on Monday to the latest acts of vandalism, the National Council of Carinthian Slovenians (NSKS) said that these were systemic and well-organised acts are attempts to erase the Slovenian language in the public in Carinthia.
"It seems that we are returning to the past times," it said, adding that it expected from the relevant authorities to conduct an accordingly systematic and organised campaign to find the perpetrators.
The NSKS noted that such acts were inadmissible and subject to criminal prosecution under Austrian legislation. "What we need in Carinthia is a deep and lasting change of paradigm," it added.
The organisation thinks that the perpetrators want to create tension in southern Carinthia ahead of the upcoming local elections in February.
The acts have also been condemned by the Community of Carinthian Slovenians (SKS), whose president Bernard Sadovnik called on the locals to help the police find the perpetrators.
"Despite the acts having not been clarified yet, it is encouraging that the population and political representatives clearly reject such acts of vandalism," he said.
Carinthia Governor Peter Kaiser condemned the acts in a statement on Sunday. "Such behaviour is completely unacceptable for the open society into which we have developed in recent years," he said.
The Slovenian Foreign Ministry expressed concern today, noting it expected the Austrian authorities to find the perpetrators as soon as possible and protect the constitutional rights of the Slovenian community in Carinthia. It also said that diplomatic activities in relation to this were under way.
The acts from week ago have also been strongly condemned by Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitch, while Foreign minister Anže Logar told the Foreign Policy Committee last Wednesday that Slovenia regretted and condemned the incident.
