EU’s Response to Thompson’s Concert Is Disappointing—Silence Would Have Been Preferable
Ana Brnabić, Photo: Savo Prelević
Today, Ana Brnabić, the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, expressed her disappointment regarding the European Union’s (EU) response to the concert held by Croatian singer Marko Perković Thompson in Zagreb, which attracted around half a million attendees. She described the EU’s declaration—merely condemning expressions of fascism—as shameful.
“The EU’s only response is regrettable. They would have been better off saying nothing at all; such empty political statements lack substance. Their ongoing silence is equally disgraceful,” Brnabić remarked during an interview with Pink television.
Brnabić noted that European institutions remain quiet, even in light of revelations that in a nation with a population of 3.5 million—an EU member—half a million people were celebrating Ustasha crimes with the slogan ‘For the homeland, ready’. She recalled that the EU also remained silent three years ago when Croatia barred Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić from visiting Jasenovac.
She emphasized that Serbia will intensify efforts to create a memorial center for victims in Jajinci, Belgrade, and in Donja Gradina, Republika Srpska, stressing that Serbia must fight to ensure that such atrocities are not forgotten.
The Speaker also addressed the statements made by MPs in the Croatian Parliament, as well as a recent post by Croatian MEP Stiven Nikola Bartulica, who shared a photo from the concert, captioned: “Croatia is rebelling again.”
“Croatia is once again resonating with the cry ‘For the homeland, ready’, a phrase that mirrors the Nazi salute ‘Heil Hitler’, used during the systematic slaughter of Serbs, whose suffering was sensationally brutal. This was particularly aimed at Serbs, but also targeted Jews and Roma, as the Ustasha regime sought to cleanse the Nazi Independent State of Croatia of all Serbs,” Brnabić elaborated.
During her visit to Israel, where she met with top officials, Brnabić conveyed her observations, stating that the leaders appeared “utterly shocked.”
“Eighty years after World War II and the atrocious Nazi crimes, it is unsettling that in the Balkans, specifically in Croatia—a member of the EU—there exists not only a relativization of these Nazi and Ustasha crimes, of which we were victims but also a degree of acceptance. This is something worth noting,” Brnabić stated.
She mentioned her discussions with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sar, who noted the disturbing reality that such a fascist rally, with half a million participants, occurred in an EU member state, all chanting ‘Ready for the homeland’.
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