We inform the public that, during the night leading into Thursday, 11 December 2025, vandals once again destroyed the rainbow flag displayed on the façade of Kinodvor, the venue of the 41st LGBT Film Festival, the oldest film festival in Slovenia. The incident has been reported to the police, who are currently investigating the case.
We once again draw attention to the unacceptable escalation of violence and vandalism targeting the LGBTIQ+ community in Slovenia. The rainbow flag is a cultural and social symbol expressing identity, belonging, and the legitimate presence of the community in public space. Its removal or destruction therefore represents not only damage to property but also an infringement upon the freedom of expression guaranteed by Article 39 of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia.
This incident is not an isolated case. It continues a pattern of systematic attacks on spaces and events connected to the LGBTIQ+ community in Slovenia: repeated damage to plaques in the Ade Škerl and Sonja Plaskan parks, multiple acts of vandalism against the Mariborka bookstore, the tearing down of the flag at the venue Pritličje, and organized attacks on participants of the Pride Parade in Maribor as well as incidents at the Pride Parade in Ljubljana. All of these events indicate a worrying normalization of hate-motivated actions, which demand a clear, decisive, and unequivocal public condemnation.
We call upon institutions, political parties, the police, cultural organizations, and the broader public to firmly denounce the rising intolerance, to protect fundamental human rights, to ensure the safety not only of LGBTIQ+ individuals but of all marginalized groups, and to foster a social environment in which cultural diversity, freedom of expression, and human dignity remain inviolable.