Public Statement of Non-Governmental Organisations Operating in Metelkova Street no.6, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ljubljana, 20 October 2020: On Monday 19 October 2020, the non-governmental organisations operating at No.6 Metelkova Street in Ljubljana received a proposal for an amicable termination of the lease from the building manager of the Ministry of Culture and an order to vacate the building by 31 January 2021. If we fail to do so, the Ministry has threatened to enforce the eviction through the courts, at our expense. The reason given is that the ministry supposedly needs the premises for its own use and intends to renovate them, although the budget is not slated to provide funds for such renovation until 2021, and the Ministry has not offered tenants replacement premises, nor has it entered into any sort of dialogue with us. The termination of the leases came to our addresses unannounced and on the very day when the SARS-CoV-2 virus epidemic and curfew were declared. We strongly protest the actions of the Ministry of Culture and regard it as an attack on civil society and independent culture intended to prevent the functioning of the critical public. The current government and especially the largest government party, the SDS, have never hidden these intentions. 
The organisations operating at No.6 Metelkova derive from the heritage of the civil society movements that promoted the democratization and demilitarization of society in the 1980s, and thereby made a crucial contribution to the adoption of a democratic constitution after the country’s independence. One of the key symbolic moments of these efforts took place in 1993, when cultural workers, artists and activists occupied the former command headquarters for all Yugoslav National Army barracks in Slovenia, located on Metelkova street in Ljubljana. Since then, it has been a public space where diversity, solidarity, dialogue and critical thinking are respected and encouraged. The current government in power is attempting to erase these values and this history, even though the Prime Minister once considered himself a peace activist. Instead of demilitarization, this government is forcing Slovenia to purchase a huge amount of weaponry, and instead of democratization, it is following the authoritarian example of Hungary and other Visegrad countries, where they have already dealt with non-governmental organisations in a way similar to what the Ministry of Culture is trying to do with us. 
Today, No.6 Metelkova Street is home to non-governmental organisations, collectives and individuals engaged in independent cultural and artistic production, and research and advocacy on behalf of minority and marginalized groups. These are internationally recognized actors who have creaased countless books, films, magazines, exhibitions, conferences, festivals, theatrical, puppet and dance performances, intermedia projects and research over nearly three decades of operation in these spaces. Part of this production was supported by the very same ministry which is now thrwoing us onto the street. We would expect the Ministry of Culture to be aware of this history and to support the creativity and knowledge produced here. On the contrary, it has decided, in the midst of an epidemic, to take away our basic infrastructure and thus the foundation of our operations. It should be stressed out that in the case of No.6 Metelkova, this is the only building in Slovenia that the Ministry of Culture has dedicated to independent cultural, artistic and research organisations, and the organisations that have premises here are designated as operating in the public interest. 
We hereby inform the Ministry of Culture and the government of the Republic of Slovenia that we have no intention of leaving No.6 Metelkova and that we will resist with all possible means these attacks on civil socity, independent culture and democracy.” 
To support the efforts of Slovenian organisations please sign and promote the following petition: https://www.petitions.net/international_support_for_non-governmental_org…
List of signatories – organizations operating at No. 6 Metelkova Street:
·      Association of Slovene Film Producers https://www.culture.si/en/Association_of_Slovene_Film_Producers
·      Association of Slovenian foundations
·      Center for Slovenian Literature http://www.ljudmila.org/litcenter/
·      City of Women – Association for the Promotion of Women in Culture http://www.cityofwomen.org/en
·      Contemporary Dance Association Slovenia   https://sodobniples.si/
·      Dance Theatre Ljubljana http://ptl.si/
·      En Knap Dance Group http://www.en-knap.com/en-knap-dance.html
·      Exodos Ljubljana https://www.exodosljubljana.si/exodos-institute/
·      Forum Ljubljana https://www.culture.si/en/Forum_Ljubljana www.svetlobnagverila.net 
·      www.stripburger.org
·      www.stripcore.net www.predmestje.org www.pokrajina-st2.org www.filminferno.si
·      www.zastoj.si
·      Gallus J. Carniolus Institute https://www.culture.si/en/Gallus_J._Carniolus_Institute
·      Gallus Foundation https://www.culture.si/en/Gallus_Foundation
·      Institute for Sustainable Development http://www.itr.si/en/
·      Legal-Informational Centre for NGOs  http://pic.si/about/
·      Maskahttp://www.maska.si/index.php?id=132&L=1
·      NSK Information Centre https://www.culture.si/en/NSK_Information_Centre
·      Otok Institute / Isola Cinema  http://www.isolacinema.org/en/home-2/
·      Peace Institute https://www.mirovni-institut.si/en/
·      Retro-avantgarde Society (Laibach)  https://www.culture.si/en/Laibach
·      SCCA-Ljubljana, Center for Contemporary Arts        http://www.scca-ljubljana.si/en/home/
·      SLOGA, Slovenian Global Action – platform of non- governmental organizations     http://www.sloga-platform.org/about-us/
·      ŠKUC Association      https://www.skuc.org/domov/;https://www.culture.si/en/%C5%A0KUC-LL
·      Vertigohttp://www.vertigo.si/en/
·      Vitkar Institutehttps://www.culture.si/en/Vitkar_Institute