Prominent Croatian attorney Ante Nobilo is one of the few public figures who openly condemned the recent concert by Marko Perković Thompson held in downtown Zagreb, calling it an “Ustaša gathering.” He placed direct responsibility for the ongoing fascisization of Croatian society on the city authorities and the ruling HDZ party, led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
“One of the more striking aspects of the concert was the open Ustaša-style gathering in the very heart of Zagreb. Young men and women in black shirts, some bearing the slogan ‘Za dom spremni’ (‘Ready for the homeland’), others chanting this fascist salute. Songs glorifying Ustaša executioners Jure Francetić and Rafael Boban, commanders of the ‘Black Legion’, were played. The police watched and did nothing. It gave the impression that these outbursts were legal. For the first time since 1945, in central Zagreb, at a public gathering of 500,000 people, the fascist salute ‘Za dom spremni’ was broadcast loudly through the sound system—with no reaction. Ministers and the Speaker of Parliament, Gordan Jandroković, didn’t stand up or leave the concert,” said Nobilo.
For Nobilo, this event encapsulates the failure of youth education in Croatian society.
“This moral collapse is the result of a poor education system, a weak constitution, political inconsistency, and the hypocrisy of state elites, along with the actions of the Catholic Church, which seeks to whitewash fascists in order to cleanse its own historical image. More clearly than ever, we now see a segment of Croatian society that is uneducated, easily manipulated, and completely lacking in empathy for the victims of false Croatian nationalism throughout history,” Nobilo stated, recommending that those who claim not to understand should review historical footage of Nazi rallies from the 1930s.
He questioned who is to blame for the total fascisization and Ustašization of Croatian society, noting that “there are very few innocent parties” and that “this is what is truly concerning.”
Nobilo concluded that the responsibility for organizing Thompson’s concert lies both with the City of Zagreb and its mayor, as well as with the HDZ under Prime Minister Plenković—who, he argues, has politically backed the relativization of the Ustaša salute by claiming it carries “multiple connotations.”
“No, Prime Minister Plenković. There are no multiple meanings to ‘Za dom spremni.’ It was, and remains, solely and exclusively an Ustaša, fascist salute. Everyone who used it during the war and continues to use it today does so because it is an Ustaša salute,” said Nobilo.
He called on Plenković’s government to follow Austria’s example, which banned the salute and imposes fines of up to €10,000.
Nobilo accused both the government and the left-wing opposition of competing in pandering to Thompson by remaining silent on what he described as the “aggressive Ustašization” of Croatian society.
“Everyone is impressed that the largest ticketed concert took place in Zagreb. But they don’t realize that along with that headline, the world will also hear about the fascisization of Croatian society—which will leave a far deeper impression on how Croatia as a state and society is perceived,” Nobilo concluded, as reported by the Croatian portal Dnevnik.
Source: Glas Srpske
