ZAGREB, May 8, 2019 – On the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the liberation of Zagreb from fascist occupation, candidates of the We Can! political platform, the New Left and the ORaH party, who are running together in elections for the European Parliament, on Wednesday displayed on one of the Zagreb bridges a banner reading “Antifascists of Europe, Unite”, telling citizens that despite new fascistisation trends, plans for building a Europe of equal people must not be given up.
“It is exceptionally important to mark Zagreb City Day, the day which marked the closing of the possibly most shameful page in Croatia’s history – the Independent State of Croatia,” Rada Borić of the New Left told a news conference in Zagreb.
She recalled that Europe Day would be marked on May 9 to commemorate “the end of the fascist terror in Europe”, and expressed regret about the downplaying of Croatia’s past and signs of real fascism. In that context, she cited attacks on Roma by skinheads throughout Europe, calls by sports fans in Croatia for the lynching of those who are different, and the cult of nation and traditionalism, which, she said, particularly restrict women’s rights.
Borić added that because of this one had to show that Europe could be different and that Europeans had to be equal.
Sandra Benčić of the We Can! platform recalled European Parliament President Antonio Tajani’s statement “Long live Italian Istria and Dalmatia”, made at a commemoration for Italians killed in the aftermath of World War II, saying that such statements were prompted by the glorification of Ustasha ideology in Croatia.
“Croatia does have people who always oppose fascism. Resistance to fascism today and tomorrow,” Benčić said.
More news about the historical revisionism in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.
