Croatian right-wing singer Marko Perković and fans perform pro-Nazi salute at massive concert
An extremely popular right-wing Croatian singer and hundreds of thousands of his fans made a pro-Nazi salute from the Second World War during a massive concert in Zagreb, aroused criticism.
One of the most popular songs of Marko Perkovic, played in the end of Saturday concert, begins with the dreaded “For the Homeland – Ready!” Salute, used by the Nazi era puppet regime in Croatia which led the concentration camps at the time.
Perkovic, whose stage name is Thompson after a machine gun made in the United States, had previously declared that song and salvation focus on the 1991-1995 ethnic war in Croatia, in which he fought using American firearm, after the country declared the independence of former Yugoslavia. He says that his controversial song is “a witness to an era”.
The 1990s conflict broke out when the Serbs of the rebel minorities, supported by neighboring Serbia, took firearms, with the intention of separating from Croatia and uniting in Serbia.
Perkovic’s immense popularity in Croatia reflects the nationalist feelings in force in the country 30 years after the end of the war.
The troops of the Second World War in Croatia brutally killed tens of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma and anti -fascist Croats in a series of concentration camps in the country. Despite documented atrocities, some nationalists still consider the managers of the Ustasha regime as founders of the independent Croatian state.
The organizers said that half a million people had attended the Perkovic concert in the Croatian capital. The video sequences broadcast by the Croatian media have shown that many fans displaying pro-Nazis greetings earlier during the day.
Salvation is subject to law in Croatia, but the courts have ruled that Perkovic can use it as part of his song, said the Croatian state television HRT.
Perkovic has been forbidden to occur in certain European cities on frequent pro-Nazi displays and displays during his concerts.
The Vecernji list of Croatia wrote that the “supreme organization” of the concert was overshadowed by the use of the salvation of a regime which signed “mass executions”.
Regional television N1 noted that all modern interpretations of salvation can be its roots are “undoubtedly” in the era of the Ustasha regime.
N1 said that even if “the Germans have made a clear break” of everything related to the Nazis “to prevent twisted interpretations and the return to a dark past … Croatia is far from near 2025.”
In neighboring Serbia, populist president Aleksandar Vucic criticized Perkovic’s concerts as an exhibition “support for pro-Nazis values”. Former Serbian Liberal Chief Boris Tadic said it was a “great shame for Croatia” and “the European Union” because the concert “glorifies the murder of members of a nation, in this case Serbian”.
Croatia joined the EU in 2013.
Croatian police said Perkovic’s concert was the largest of all time in the country and an invisible security challenge, deploying thousands of officers.
No major incidents have been reported.
