Ljubljana - There is no spiral of violence in Slovenia, but there is a spiral of an upward trend in coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Janez Janša said during Monday's Q&A session in parliament. Due to irresponsible behaviour, the country is on the verge of being forced to reintroduce lockdown measures, he said.

Luka Mesec, the head of the opposition Left, prompted Janša's statement as he, referencing recent protests that saw police resorting to repressive means, asked him how he intends to help prevent a "vicious cycle of violence" in the country. Mesec also accused Janša of irresponsible behaviour.

Replying, the prime minister said that during "these so-called non-violent protests, 40 police officers were injured, and some rioters were slightly injured, as we have seen in the media".

"When we lay out these figures in front of us, it is quite clear who is inflicting violence," Janša added.

He highlighted there was no spiral of violence in Slovenia, noting there was a spiral of growth in Covid cases instead.

Since "that famous protest" on 5 October, the country has been seeing the fastest growth in infections in Europe and a renewed pressure on hospitals. It is likely that the situation will further escalate in the next week, he said.

"As a result of irresponsible behaviour that was certainly not caused by the police or the government", Slovenia is on the brink of reintroducing lockdown measures, which would cause additional damage and hinder post-epidemic recovery, Janša warned.

Slovenia's vaccination rate is too low to turn the Covid pass mandate into recommendations, the prime minister said.

He added that the reactions of courts, including the Constitutional Court, and some commissioners gave the public the impression that government decrees were only recommendations. This, he said, further accelerates the spiral of infections.

Meanwhile, Mesec argued that infections were spreading in places that "the government's failed vaccination strategy is failing to protect".

"Go around a bit and see who is still checking the PCT [recovered-vaccinated-tested] requirement you imposed three weeks ago," he told Janša.