Alain Finkielkraut Explains Why He Signed Petition against Culture Minister Hasanbegović

Well-known French philosopher is one of numerous international intellectuals who signed a petition against Croatian Culture Minister.

Famous French writer, philosopher and essayist Alain Finkielkraut said in Zagreb on Saturday that it was his opinion that Croatian Culture Minister Zlatko Hasanbegović was taking advantage of post-war totalitarian violence to discredit the struggle against Fascism, as well as Hasanbegović’s doubts about historical truths, what made him join some 500 other European intellectuals to sign a petition demanding Hasanbegović’s dismissal, reports Večernji List on June 5, 2016.

“The memory should remain alive and must not lead to mixing of historical epochs”, said Finkielkraut. “If I am here now, it is because I want to express my solidarity with all the Croats who believe that it is shameful that Hasanbegović is heading the Ministry of Culture”, said the prominent European intellectual at a press conference in Zagreb.

In January 1991, Finkielkraut came to Croatia for the first time in order to affirm his support to Croatia in its struggle for independence. “Here I met with Croatian intellectuals and began a series of friendships”, he said.

Asked whether he received a list of historians who had expressed their support for Hasanbegović, Finkielkraut said he did receive it and added that he found on the list some names which were familiar to him, such as Ivo Banac. “I was shocked with that list, because of Hasanbegović’s revisionist statements about Croatian history”, he said, noting that it was this list which caused him to even more strongly support Croatian civil society organizations which revolted against the climate of historical revisionism.

Finkielkraut said he was unpleasantly surprised that Minister Hasanbegović singled him out in an interview with Le Monde, among hundreds of other petitioners. “With my engagement in support of Croatia in 1991 I provoked opposition from many in Europe, who even started calling me ‘FinkielCroate’”, he said. “I wonder why is Hasanbegović now saying I am the enemy number one”, said the French intellectual who has even wrote the book “How to Be a Croat?”.

 

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