The President said that the protesters, whose support she used to enjoy, were politically marginal.
HDZ’s member of parliament and president of the Association of Disabled War Veterans (HVIDR) Josip Đakić attended a protest against the visit by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić yesterday. The protest caused a reaction from Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who had invited Vučić to come to Croatia, reports Index.hr on February 13, 2018.
“It is a democratic right to protest, but what I absolutely cannot support are insults and hate speech. We must not allow individuals from the edges of the political spectrum to dictate our policies. The policies and inter-state relations should be determined by us, statesmen and stateswomen, as well as a vast majority of our citizens who support President Vučić’s visit to Croatia,” said Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović during a joint press conference with her Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić.
In the evening, she again mentioned the protesters and apologised to Vučić and the Serbian delegation if they experienced any inconvenience, adding that protesters represented a minority, while most Croats want a dialogue between the two countries.
Đakić yesterday said that the war veterans would think about whether she would continue to have their support. “If the President was talking about another HDZ MP Stevo Culej and me, then that was something which she should not have done. We are certainly not politically marginal people, especially when it comes to elections,” he said for Nova TV. “If Vučić demanded that the protest should not take place in front of the government building, then that is an embarrassment, just like his Greater Serbian policies,” Đakić said.
One of the organisers of the protest was retired General Željko Sačić. “Croatia will not bow its head in front of an enemy of Croatia. Vučić, you are an aggressor, and you are not welcome in Croatia,” said Sačić during the protest.
In the evening, he wrote a Facebook post. “Mrs President, what was that? You have slandered Homeland War heroes, Croatian heroes and warriors, the righteous and truthful people, the victims. According to your opinion, we are all people from the edge of the political spectrum. You should be ashamed. You had other topics to discuss today, but you decided to talk about protesters who peacefully, in a civilised, legal and democratic manner presented their political views, which are different from yours. Now, you ‘rule by reason’ in an arrogant, smug, cold, vain and ungrateful way, but your reason seems to be limited. We think you will not rule that way for long,” wrote Sačić.
During her pre-election campaign in 2014, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović often voiced her support for war veterans who were at the time protesting against the SDP-led government. She won many votes from hard-right voters, who continued to support her during her term. With her invitation to Serbian President to visit Croatia, she surprised many of her followers, some of whom have started to accuse her of being a traitor, an accusation which is usually reserved for leftwing politicians.
