BRATISLAVA, September 3, (WEBNOVINY) — The „People against Racism“ NGO alleges that the media in Slovakia have been trying to find excuses for the gunman who shot dead seven people and injured fifteen earlier this week in the Bratislava district of Devinska Nova Ves by describing him as a desperate, helpless introvert who was driven to the crime by an unruly Roma family all members of which he mercilessly executed. The NGO gas sent an open letter to the media asking journalists for solidarity with the victims of Monday’s shooting rampage. In less than 24 hours, 235 signatories joined the People against Racism initiative, including civil and human rights activists, representatives of the third sector and citizens. The NGO points to sensitiveness of the published information and the potential to press the public into negative, ethnically emotional attitudes. „Unfortunately, with sincere regret we have to say that also the way in which the media informed the public of the incident contributes to this character of public response,” says the appeal.
The media informed this week that the executed family had been causing problems in the past and its neighbors complained about its noisy behavior. The lawyer of the NGO Irena Bihariova underscored that surnames of people who were accused of having disturbed good neighborhood relations are not identical with the names of the victims. The organization believes that specifically such (mis)information published in the media help persuading the public that the murderer was terrorized by the victims while no public administration body had moved to help him and just the family living next-door compelled him to commit this disgusting deed. However, police investigation, Bihariova says, has not yet brought any information justifying such conclusions.
The People against Racism say that in a situation when a decent man would expect gestures of solidary for the victims regardless to the color of their skin or the lifestyle, only an alarming insensitivity and displays of sympathy towards the murderer are seen around.
The NGO turns to the media to consider in further reporting on the massacre whether the information they provide to the public help clarify the massacre or only scandalize the topic.
SITA
