Who holds the narrative? Facebook discourse and political messaging after the Fico assassination attempt

Peter Dubóczi; Tomáš Dvorský

doi:10.34135/sjps.250202

Authors

Peter Dubóczi Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Tomáš Dvorský Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34135/sjps.250202

Keywords:

discourse, Facebook, narratives, Slovakia, assassination attempt, Robert Fico

Abstract

The attempted assassination of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on 15 May 2024 represented a turning point in the country’s political and media landscape. As an extraordinary act of political violence, it not only disrupted the domestic political agenda but also sparked an intense wave of public communication and discursive framing. This study examines the political communication on Facebook in the weeks following the attack, with a particular focus on the narratives that political actors used to interpret the event, shape public opinion, and mobilize their supporters. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative methods, the research identifies sixteen recurring narratives, analyses their frequency and communication effectiveness, and maps their use across the political spectrum. The findings show that emotionally charged and polarizing narratives – particularly those invoking ideological antagonism, cultural conflict, and blame attribution – were not only the most frequent but also the most engaging for audiences. Coalition-affiliated actors, especially from the SMER-SD party, dominated both in narrative intensity and communicative reach. The study argues that in the Slovak context, political violence becomes a powerful symbolic event, rapidly transformed into a discursive battleground for legitimacy, identity, and influence. The research contributes to the broader understanding of political communication in moments of crisis, especially in fragile and polarized democracies.

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