What on earth is happening in Croatia? While the whole region watches, a concert by Marko Perković Tompson in Zagreb wasn’t just a music event—it was a blatant promotion of Ustasha ideology, fascism, and the glorification of war criminals! Yes, you read that right. Half a million people gathered at the Zagreb Hippodrome to celebrate songs that praise crimes and hatred. Miodrag Linta, president of the Serbian Union of the region, leaves no doubt—Croatia is trapped in its dark past and refuses to face the genocide against Serbs during the NDH era.
Young people, most born decades after the war, are singing songs that glorify the Ustasha salute “Dom spremni” and celebrate the persecution of Serbs in Operation Storm. Studies show that about 70% of Croatian high school students do not consider the NDH a fascist creation! Is it possible that the state and society tolerate such a revision of history?
The Croatian government didn’t just stay silent—they supported this concert, sending a clear message that the rehabilitation of Ustasha ideology is official policy. The Croatian Parliament even declared May 15 as a day of remembrance for “Croatian victims” and sponsors commemorations in Bleiburg, a place with no mass killings but used to glorify Ustashas.
Courts in Croatia have ruled that the Ustasha salute “Dom spremni” is not an offense, and the song “Bojna Čavoglave” is not hate speech. How are Serbs in Croatia and the region supposed to feel safe? Linta warns that Serbs in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are second-class citizens, deprived of basic rights, with limited access to public services and frequent property seizures.
Serbia must act! Linta proposes establishing a state office for Serbs in the region, memorial centers for NDH and 1990s war victims, and an international campaign for recognition of the genocide against Serbs.
While Croatia celebrates and glorifies its dark past, the world mostly stays silent or reacts too late. Will we allow history to repeat itself? Or will we finally stand up to hatred and revisionism? If you’ve got something to say, maybe it’s time to say it—silence isn’t an option!