October 21, 2019 – More unsettling news out of Zadar on Monday after two black members of the United States Air Force were attacked at a Zadar nightclub.
Zadarski.hr reports that two black members of the United States Air Force were brutally attacked on Saturday night at the Opera nightclub in Zadar. On holiday from Virginia and Georgia, the two Americans were assaulted after they were seen ‘twerking’ at the nightclub, which led other nightclubbers to believe they were gay.
Several Croatian men attacked the US airmen, which resulted in a trip to the local hospital where they were given medical attention for their injuries.
“Last night, we experienced one of the worst moments in our lives. A group of eight to ten Croatian men attacked us at the club. I have never felt so helpless in my life. It seemed like they did not want to let us live,” said the shocked 24-year-old American, who shared his experience on social media.
The Zadar police confirmed to Zadarski.hr that an incident occurred on Saturday night at the Opera nightclub involving two American citizens, aged 25 and 24. Police received the report at about 3:20 am., and the attack happened at about 3:10 am. The police reported that the attack on the two Americans involved several unidentified persons who inflicted minor bodily harm by striking them with their hands and feet. They added that they are working intensively to determine the identity of the attackers and the reasons they attacked at all. The Opera nightclub is owned by the Zagreb-based ‘Nas 4’ company, that is, the former Hvar mayor Pjerino Bebic and his business partner Slobodan Matenda from Split.
For now, the attackers are sought for disrupting public order and peace, which is only a misdemeanor offense. The investigation will show whether there were elements of hate crime in the physical attack.
“A journey that started so beautifully ended in such a horrible way, but I am grateful that my friend and I are alive! We have a few bumps and bruises, but we’ll be fine,” said the 24-year-old from Doerun, Georgia. His friend, a 25-year-old from Richmond, Virginia, shared the same story from the Zadar hospital. They name a local girl who helped them to the hospital as their angel.
You can see their accounts of what happened in the videos below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=Y44q7rlLyYo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=pj_JFcPB7_U
They flew from Zadar to Frankfurt on Sunday night.
“Thank you to everyone who gave us support. We are finally back home,” said the US airmen after the incident.
The police did not officially inform the public of the incident on Sunday and Monday, though one of the videos posted to social media shows that the young men were escorted to the hospital accompanied by Zadar police.
This news comes after we learned that several young men gang-raped, harassed and blackmailed a 15-year-old girl in Zadar. The investigating judge released the five young men from pre-trial custody, which prompted protests throughout Croatia last weekend.
Translated from Zadarski.hr
To read more about news in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
