The event in Tito’s birthplace brought together several thousand people.
The Josip Broz Tito Association of Croatia and the Association of Anti-Fascist Fighters and Antifascists of the Republic of Croatia organized an event to mark the former Day of Youth, the official birthday of former Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito which used to be celebrated on 25 May. The event began in Tito’s birthplace Kumrovec, north-west of Zagreb, at 11 am this morning, reports N1 on May 27, 2017.
The event in Kumrovec, organized with the slogan “The Days of Democracy in Kumrovec”, started with the Croatian national anthem and the Internationale. According to the police, more than 6,500 people came to the gathering, with many carrying Tito’s photos and former Yugoslav national flags.
“I have been coming here for the last 15 years. In our hearts, Tito is the one who raised us and put us on our feet. As for the future, I do not know, but while I was young, we had everything. We must respect our ancestors, grandparents and parents,” said Franko Škrinjar, who has a clear opinion about Tito. “He is not a criminal for me, but maybe he is for some other people. Everyone has their opinion. He did a lot for Yugoslavs. Not only for Croatia, but for Yugoslavia and the whole world,” said Škrinjar.
When asked why he had come to Kumrovec, student Marko Bedeniković responded, “I came because I like it here. I want people not to hate each other, and to strive for unity. Let us try to live together soon. My point is that Tito was not a criminal. But, people have the right to their opinion,” said Bedeniković.
The speech at the event was given by Franjo Habulin, president of the Association of Anti-Fascist Fighters and Anti-Fascists of the Republic of Croatia. “We will not have talked about the Ustasha and the Partisans too much as long as things are not put in their place. The truth always wins,” he said.
Although the event took place without any problems, the right-wing Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) asked the government to ban the gathering of “worshippers of one of the ten greatest mega-criminals of the 20th century.”
Josip Broz Tito was president of Yugoslavia from the end of the Second World War until his death in 1980. Every year, 25 May was marked as his official birthday, and the holiday was called the Day of Youth. Opinions about him today are sharply divided, with some considering him to be a great world statesman and other claiming that he was a Communist dictator and criminal.
