A Zagreb official claimed that the real aim was to export Serbia’s internal tensions into Croatia.
Mate Granić, foreign policy advisor to Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, has described recent far-right attacks on Serbian minority cultural events in Split, Zagreb, and Rijeka as “extremely damaging” to Croatia’s international reputation, adding that “Belgrade media and Aleksandar Vučić are the happiest” about the incidents.
Speaking to Croatian Radio and Television (HRT), Granić accused Serbia’s “radical left” of labelling anything Croatian as “Ustasha”– a reference to the fascist Ustasha movement that ruled the Nazi-puppet Independent State of Croatia (NDH) during World War II and carried out genocide against Serbs, Jews, Roma, and political opponents.
He claimed the real aim is to export Serbia’s internal tensions into Croatia.
At the same time, Granić stressed that Croatia offers Europe’s strongest minority protections but insisted Serbian community leaders must choose “the right place, time, and content” for their events. “Unfortunately, mistakes were made,” he said.
Justice Minister Damir Habijan drew a sharp line between legitimate patriotism and political violence: “Democracy and respect for the Homeland War are one thing; violence that has no colour – neither red nor blue, left nor right – is something completely different.”
The troubles began on 3 November in Split, when several dozen masked hooligans, many wearing black and shouting the Ustasha salute “Za dom spremni” (“For the homeland – ready”), forced the cancellation of a youth cultural performance organised by the Serbian Cultural Society “Prosvjeta”.
Members of the Torcida football fan group justified the disruption by citing the ongoing commemoration of Vukovar’s 1991 siege. No physical injuries occurred, but the event – involving children from Novi Sad – was abandoned for safety reasons.
A Split court has since remanded nine suspects in custody for one month on charges of violent behaviour and violating freedom of national expression; others remain at large.
Torcida responded with street protests demanding their release and decrying what they called “hypocrisy and public lynching”.
In Zagreb on Saturday, dozens of masked men in black gathered outside the Serbian Cultural Centre chanting “Croatia, an independent state” and Ustasha-era slogans before dispersing after special police intervened.
Mayor Tomislav Tomašević condemned any celebration of the NDH, reminding citizens that the regime “passed racial laws and systematically murdered people in concentration camps because of their religion, nationality, or political beliefs”.
A smaller incident in Rijeka involved police dispersing a group of minors near a karate hall hosting Serbian competitors; authorities confirmed no attack took place.
Prime Minister Plenković and President Zoran Milanović both swiftly denounced the incidents, vowing swift justice. Milorad Pupovac, leader of the Independent Democratic Serbian Party, announced that police will now secure all future Serbian community events.
Granić concluded that only a focus on “real problems” rather than imported provocations can lower tensions, praising Plenković’s government for its “prudent and responsible policy” amid the escalating row.