In Tuesday’s session on TA3, the four MEPs Katarína Roth Neveďalová gathered, Ľuboš Blaha (both Smer-SD), Miriam Lexmann (KDH) and a member of the Czech opposition Alexander Vondra (ODS) to discuss the conflict in the Middle East and what impact it will have on Europe. However, the almost 30-minute session was left prematurely by the Czech representative, who, according to his own words, could no longer stand listening to his Slovak colleague.
The departure of the Czech MEP from the TA3 studio followed a heated exchange of views on current conflicts and their interpretation. “Now they (Iran, editor’s note) have been bombed, they are killing small children and we pretend that it’s okay. A gentleman who understands this and a Christian lady (Lexmann) cannot condemn the genocide in Gaza, that small children are dying in school because of the Americans, but now we pretend that Putin is to blame. My colleague also sees him in the refrigerator…” Blaha spoke passionately and subsequently accused Vondra of cynical behavior towards the victims.
In the debate, sharp accusations and emotional formulations were heard, which subsequently resulted in Vondra refusing to continue the discussion and leaving the show. “Don’t be angry, I won’t listen to your bullshit. Have a good time, goodbye. I will not debate with this gentleman. I’m an elderly person, I’m 65 years old, and I don’t need this,” Vondra said goodbye.
Vondra later explained his actions and at the same time drew attention to a certain phenomenon. “For 30 years, various people have asked me from time to time how it is possible that I am so calm in televised debates and that I do not leave the stage when confronted with demagoguery. But yesterday I did it for the first time in my life. Spontaneous,” wrote.
“I could no longer legitimize the bundle of lies and demagoguery of the MP from the Smer party with my presence. Blaha is a new phenomenon. Dangerous. He flaunts the rules, but he himself does not even respect the basic rules of civilized debate. We really have to prepare for this ‘type of politics’ if a fair political debate is not to turn into a permanent civil war,” added Vondra.
After the debate, Vondra also spoke for television and repeated that this had happened to him for the first time. “I have to say that I have been in public life for plus or minus 35 years and I go to TV debates all the time. I remember all kinds of things. Someone always stops me on the street – completely normal, sane people I don’t even know – and they say to me: ‘Mr. Vondra, you are good, but you must have very strong nerves to endure this. We couldn’t stand it. We would stand up and leave, or we would punch him.’ Yesterday it happened to me for the first time,” he said.
He sees his departure from the debate as a gesture, then he also wondered if he did the right thing, but he believes it was the right decision. “I think it’s a gesture that puts an end to this chapter and at the same time warns of something. Let’s be careful, because this is a new type of political rhetoric that we have not known before, and the fact can lead us to hell. So, from my side, it’s not just a full stop, but actually a colon followed by an exclamation point,” concluded the Czech MEP.
