ZAGREB, August 16, 2019 – Presidential candidate Miroslav Škoro on Thursday commented for the N1 broadcaster a ruling of the High Magistrates’ Court upholding a sentencing verdict of a lower court for the chanting of the ‘For the homeland ready’ salute as part of the song ‘Bojna Čavoglave’, saying that court rulings should be complied with and implemented but that Croatia had erred with regard to some issues and was a little late with some decisions.
The High Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday published its ruling upholding a decision by a lower court that Mario Roso, a singer from Makarska, had committed a misdemeanour at a celebration of Homeland Thanksgiving Day in 2015 by chanting the salute ‘For the homeland ready’ while performing the song ‘Bojna Čavoglave’, authored and sung by Marko Perković Thompson.
The High Magistrates’ Court thus upheld the lower court’s opinion that by chanting ‘For the homeland ready’ as part of the song ‘Bojna Čavoglave’, Roso had breached the law on offences against public order.
“A court is a court, it should be respected. I believe that… former authorities were wrong regarding certain issues and that it is too late now. Since 1991 the song has been performed millions of times on Croatian Radio and Television. I believe one should have reacted then. I don’t think reacting after the fact is good. If you need 28 years to realise something, then you have a problem with reasoning,” said Škoro, who visited the Marian shrine of Aljmaš on the occasion of the Feast of the Assumption.
Answering a reporter’s question, Škoro said that he did not have any problem with the ‘For the homeland ready’ salute in Thompson’s song because it was an integral part of that song and the song was protected by copyright as such.
“That is an integral part of the song, it was written that way, that sign was on HOS (Croatian Defence Force) uniforms and that unit was a regular Croatian army unit,” he said.
He also said that the court’s decision should be respected and implemented.
“If someone thinks differently and wants to do a different thing, they should run in elections, come to power and annul all that. Until then, one should not be hypocritical. It’s not good and does not lead anywhere. Also, people are tired of the lynching campaign and of obsessing about history,” he said.
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