September the 7th, 2020 – Tihomir Blagus is a man who went from average Joe to hero in a short space of time when part of Zagreb was threatened by extreme flooding in a storm which rocked the already earthquake-stricken capital a few weeks ago. However, instead of being hailed as a hero and being rewarded by Milan Bandic, Zagreb’s mayor, he has become the victim of ab(p)surdistan’s laws and is currently being threatened with potential prison time.
Poslovni Dnevnik writes the misdemeanor court summons has arrived on local hero Tihomir Blagus’ doorstep, and it seems that not even a global pandemic, an earthquake or a flood can stop Croatia’s often utterly ridiculous system from exercising its bizarre powers.
”This isn’t just a passive situation for me. I’ve never been summoned before a judge in my life and I’ve never been in that situation because I’ve never been prosecuted for a misdemeanor. I’m a little afraid of how everything is going to go, although I’m convinced I’m not guilty,” Tihomir Blagus, the hero of Trnje, who broke into the constitution of Hrvatske vode (Croatian water) with his neighbour Domagoj Vorberger a month and a half ago, told 24sata, they built a dam and the water that rushed into their houses swelled into the Sava river instead, rescuing part of a quickly flooding part of the city.
None of the authorities responded during the storm, the manholes were full of water that spilled onto the street and then entered the houses of residents. Blagus quite literally saved the neighbourhood. Hrvatske vode reported the unauthorised entry to their facility to the police, and when the police came out to see what had been going on the next day, Tihomir Blagus filmed them. The officer ordered him not to do so and took his phone away, Blagus rebelled and shouted for his phone to be returned. They knocked him to the floor, put their foot on his neck, handcuffed him and took him into custody. He didn’t spend the night in a cell only because of public pressure.
Now Trnje hero Tihomir Blagus must go in front of the judge and be sentenced for rescuing Zagreb. Yes, you read that right. The Croatian police have charged him with violating two articles of the law. He disturbed public peace by shouting and arguing, and he is also charged with belittling or insulting an official. For each of these parts, if the judge decides he is guilty, a fine of around 200 to 800 kuna is prescribed (the law still writes this value in German marks because the law dates back to the 90s). He could also receive up to 30 days in prison for each of these parts. It will all be up to the judge and the hearing is on Thursday morning.
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