Anti-Xenophobic Rhetoric
Croatian President Colinda Grabar-Kitarovich and Serbian Prime Minister Alexander Vučić signed a declaration on strengthening relations and resolving open issues between the two countries. June 2016, Subotica.
On May 12th, 2013, a solemn ceremony dedicated to the 68th anniversary of the mass escape of prisoners from the concentration camp of Jasenovac, which was run by Croatian Ustashe-fascists during World War II. The event was held at the memorial complex Jasenovac 60 kilometers from Zagreb. “We can be proud of anti-fascism and the victory over Nazism,” - said the President of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic, speaking to the guests of the ceremony. He stressed that the ideology of evil and hatred directed against people of other nationalities and faith will never be reborn. He added that we should not forget the fact that representatives of the Croatian people took part in the crimes.
On September 2nd Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic has rejected demands to renounce bilingual labels. “The state should treat all its citizens equally”, - he said. Croatian President Ivo Josipovic added that all citizens have the right to participate in peaceful protests, but one must respect the Constitution and the law. “The language issue in Croatia has been solved. If someone is unhappy, they can fight for amendments in the legislation”, - said the president.
Vesna Pusic, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, in December reminded that by signing the Treaty of Accession to the European Union Croatia is committed to protect the rights of national minorities. “We would have to leave the EU if we want to reduce the level of minority rights”, - she said and urged the authorities to conduct a thorough check of signatures collected by activists.
MP from the Croatian People's Party Goran Beus Rihemberg called the initiative on linguistic referendum “a circus and irrational attempt to prevent part of the identity of one of the national minorities”. Deputy Chairman of the independent democratic Serbian party in Croatia Milorad Pupovats described the events as “demonization of Serbian writing”.
On June 22, 2014, President of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic, attending an event dedicated to the Day Against Fascism, said that in we must never forget the results of the struggle against fascism. The ceremony dedicated to the 73rd anniversary since the formation of the first antifascist partisan squad took place near the city of Sisak.
President Josipovic noted that 73 years ago a group of young men gathered here to resist fascism and today we are marking this very important day.
On August 14, President Josipovic welcomed the decision of the Constitutional Court to prohibit the referendum on the Cyrillic alphabet, which was intended to limit the use of Cyrillic by the Serbian minority. “In my opinion, the court made a weighted decision, which was wise in terms of maintaining friendly relations,” the President said.
On June 21, 2016, the new President of Croatia, Colinda Grabar Kitarovich, when signing the Declaration on Strengthening Relations and Solving Open Issues between Croatia and Serbia, stated that both countries should make every possible effort to activate the bilateral protection of minorities - Serbs in Croatia, and Croats in Serbia - based on existing agreements.
After Andrej Plenkovic took over the leadership of the CDU in 2016, he sought to transform it into a modern conservative party free from chauvinist rhetoric. In addition, his last years in office would not have been possible without the parliamentary support of the Independent Democratic Serb Party, SDSS, the party that represents the Serbian community in Croatia. In 2017, already in the rank of Prime Minister of Croatia, he, together with the parliamentary media committee, condemned attacks and threats against journalists.
On June 10, 2019, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic expressed his condolences to the family of the tragically deceased Radoje Petkovic, Vice President of the Council of the Serbian National Minority in Kastava, who died from injuries following a brutal attack in the municipality of Viškovo, and strongly condemned the hooligan violence. in Supetar on Brac. “I strongly condemn this act of violence and intolerance against members of national minorities, against which we will continue to fight with all mechanisms available to state institutions in order to prevent violence, severely punish the perpetrators and draw public attention to zero tolerance for violence,” he said.
After one of the acts of vandalism against the Serbian minority in June 2020, Prime Minister Plenković and Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović issued a statement that "such actions have no place in society" and "the police will consider any calls for violence", however without ever mentioning that the Serbs were the victims of these incidents of hate speech. During a visit to the Zagreb Infectious Diseases Hospital, he told reporters: “The police are investigating this crime. We condemn it. The perpetrators must answer for it. We could also talk about whether this was an organized event that took place three and a half weeks before the elections. I have no proof of this, but those who do this are playing into someone's hands.
February 5, 2021, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlich-Radman took part in a ceremony to restore a damaged stumbling stone (stolperstein) for Chief Rabbi Miroslav Salom Freiberger, organized by the Center for the Promotion of Tolerance and Holocaust Remembrance in partnership with the Bet Israel Community and the Foundation Stiftung-Spuren. Grlic-Radman deplored the damage to the monument, sending a clear message on behalf of the government about the importance of preserving the collective memory and respect for all the victims of the Nazi regime. He said that the country's efforts and commitment to a Holocaust remembrance culture had been recognized by the international community and that the country would lead the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2023.
On April 22, 2021, the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament and representatives of groups of victims of the Nazi regime (Jews, Gypsies, Serbs and anti-fascists) paid tribute to the victims of World War II at the Jasenovac concentration camp and condemned the Nazi regime during World War II. Prime Minister Plenkovich called the atrocities committed as part of the so-called. of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), "the most tragic period in the history of Croatia" and stressed that patriotism cannot be at odds with the tolerance of others.
The Vukovar branch of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) officially condemned the incident in Borovo on June 5, 2021, when a group of young people chanted anti-Serb slogans. The Vukovar branches of two other parties - the SDP, the SDSS, as well as the Joint Council of Municipalities and the District Council of the Serbian National Minority - also joined the HDZ protest.
“The sad event in Borovo is a dark stain on the memory of the death of 12 commandos, it is not something that those we pay tribute to today left us. Therefore, we strongly condemn any hate speech, whether by individuals or groups,” said the Vukovar branch of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). It emphasized that "those who gave the most in defending the Motherland gave us freedom and sovereignty, independence and institutions, and this is the path we must follow and seek justice ... as the foundation of the world to come." The Vukovar branch of the HDZ stated that "the divisive policy pursued by some political forces" is not the way to build a better future.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) also condemned the incident, saying they were horrified by what they saw in the video and that such behavior deserves condemnation and punishment. In a joint statement by the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), the Joint Council of Municipalities and the Council of the Serb National Minority of Vukovar Sriem, the incident took place in the presence of the police. after peaceful reintegration. We try not to do anything that could worsen the relationship and set us back a step. We expect the same not only from politicians, but also from all relevant factors in society,” the message says.
The incident in Borovo took place on the day of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the death of 12 special forces soldiers from Vinkovtsy, who were shot on May 2, 1991, and on the day when Orthodox Christians, who are in the majority in Borovo, celebrate Easter. He was also condemned by the government, President Zoran Milanovic, the Serbian National Council and others.
