Press release
LARGEST PROFASCIST GATHERING IN POST-WWII EUROPE HELD IN ZAGREB
The concert by Marko Perković Thompson held at the Zagreb Hippodrome constitutes the largest attack on the constitutional values of the Republic of Croatia since the late 1990s. It is a direct assault on the core values of the European Union and a serious threat to the long-term survival of Croatia’s democratic system. A multi-day movement marked by symbols and messages of hate culminated in the public chanting of the Ustasha slogan by hundreds of thousands of people, making it the largest (pro-)fascist gathering in Europe since the Second World War. The Constitutional Court of Croatia has repeatedly ruled that the slogan “Za dom spremni” (“For the Homeland – Ready”; Ustasha equivalent of Nazi „Sieg Heil“) is incompatible with the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and that it is an Ustasha greeting inseparable from the NDH (Independent State of Croatia), as emphasized again in a 2020 statement. Additionally, several laws—including the Criminal Code, the Misdemeanor Act on Public Order and Peace, and the Anti Discrimination Act—explicitly prohibit incitement to hatred and the display of fascist symbols. These are not bans designed to curtail freedom, but safeguards intended to uphold the highest constitutional values in our society. Despite
efforts to portray the concert as a patriotic eventtied to Christian values, the behavior ofthe performer and the audience demonstrates the promotion of an ideology that negates Croatia’s founding principles, revealing blatant disregard for the country’s laws and Constitution. The Republic of Croatia is a nation founded on freedom, human rights, and democracy. To attack these foundations is to attack the country itself. Yesterday’s gathering was therefore both anti-Croatian and
anti-European. It is crucial to recognize that the promotion of any totalitarian ideology—including Ustasha ideology, communism, racism, religious fundamentalism, or any form of totalitarianism—is in direct opposition to the core values of the Republic of Croatia and constitutes a form of political extremism. What is especially alarming is that such glorification of the Ustasha ideology on this scale has received either tacit or explicit support from institutions, rather than a clear condemnation. Safeguarding the Republic of Croatia on these foundational values—and contributing accordingly to its
development—is a duty for all of us and the best guarantee of our free future. Ahead of the concert, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights rented several billboard spaces displaying the message: "Antifascism is the greatest concept in the world." Our goal was to remind the public that modern Croatian statehood was founded in opposition to the proclamation of the NDH—that is, in opposition to fascism and the Ustasha ideology. That’s why we emphasized the word “concept,” to
highlight the urgent societal need to understand antifascism today in a contemporary, European context. In democratic Croatia and Europe today, antifascism is not an ideological preference, nor does it glorify totalitarian regimes—it is a civilizational value enshrined in the Constitution and rooted in the foundations ofthe international orderto which we belong. As such, it is a prerequisite for a free society.
Therefore, we call on:
• The Government of the Republic of Croatia, especially the Ministry of the Interior and police departments across the country, to sanction the display of symbols and the public expression of illegal and unconstitutional messages in Croatia—regardless of the number of participants—understanding that mass violations ofthe law pose a greater, not lesser, threat to legality in the Republic of Croatia.
• The Mayor of Zagreb to publicly condemn this spread of hatred and to announce measures to protect and reassure the citizens of Zagreb disturbed by the apparent local suspension of laws protecting Croatia’s constitutional values and the values of an open City of Zagreb.
• The Government of Croatia and the City of Zagreb to urgently and significantly increase investments in civic education aligned with the core constitutional values of the Republic of Croatia—specifically, increasing 2026 budget allocations for such education to at least ten times the public cost incurred by this attack on constitutional values.
• The President of the Republic of Croatia to publicly condemn the mass display of symbols and public expression of illegal and unconstitutional messages—thereby defending the highest values of the constitutional order, which is his fundamental duty.
• The European Parliament and European Commission to allocate greater funding for youth education, exchange programs, and initiatives protecting the EU’s foundational values in Croatia.
The Youth Initiative for Human Rights remains committed to the foundational values of the Republic of Croatia and offers a space where young people dedicated to protecting Croatia’s democracy, rule of law, and human rights system can find a community to contribute to these goals.
Zagreb, 6 July 2025