ZAGREB, August 25, 2019 – A Croatian member of the European Parliament, Ruža Tomašić, as well as a presidential candidate, Miroslav Škoro, on Saturday criticised the Croatian Serb leader Milorad Pupovac of “adding fuel to the flames” following the incidents in two cafes near Knin.
Following Pupovac’s statements that the situation in Croatia’s society resembled the times in the aftermath of Croatia’s war of independence and that he would inform international institutions of the violations of minority rights, MEP Ruža Tomašić says on her Facebook profile that every violence should be condemned and perpetrators should be brought to justice, however, the politicisation “is counterproductive”.
Tomašić says that Pupovac’s rhetoric more and more resembles that of by Croatian Serb rebel leaders — Jovan Rašković, Milan Babić and Mile Martić — “who intimidated members of the Serb minority in Croatia and incited them to turn against their homeland”.
Škoro says on his Facebook account that Pupovac’s rhetoric looks like statements and views of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
“Instead of defusing the tensions created in the incident, Pupovac adds fuel to the flames, and wants to score political points from the attacks against Croatian citizens, which deserves absolute condemnation.”
Both Škoro and Tomašić criticise the ruling majority of keeping silent to Pupovac’s claims.
The 21 August assault against guests in a cafe in the village of Uzdolje near Knin is qualified by the Sibenik county law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities as an act of causing riot.
The police are searching for masked thugs who inflicted injuries to several people, including a 9-year-old boy, and damaged the interior of that cafe on Wednesday evening while in its guests were watching a TV broadcast of a football match between the Belgrade-based Crvena Zvezda and the Swiss club Young Boys. A few guests sustained light injuries and a 17-year-old injured boy was hospitalised in the Knin hospital for some time for his injuries.
In the Đevrske cafe thee guests were exposed to verbal attacks that night.
More news about the Knin incidents can be found in the Politics section.
