Chants associated with Croatia’s World War Two-era Ustashe movement were heard again during a concert by popular singer Marko Perković Thompson in the coastal city of Split, regional media reported, prompting renewed criticism from Serbian officials and raising concerns about the use of extremist symbolism at public events.
According to Croatian news outlet Index.hr, parts of the audience at Thompson’s second concert in Split’s Gripe arena on Friday chanted “Za dom spremni” (“For the homeland, ready”), a slogan historically linked to the fascist Ustashe regime that ruled the Nazi-backed Independent State of Croatia during World War Two.
Similar chants were reported during a concert at the same venue a day earlier, with videos circulating on social media showing sections of the crowd shouting slogans linked to the Ustashe, whose regime was responsible for mass killings of Serbs, Jews and Roma.
The incident comes as Serbia prepares for a visit by Tonino Picula, a Croatian member of the European Parliament and a vocal critic of the Serbian government in EU institutions. Serbian media have repeatedly pointed out that Picula has attended Thompson’s concerts in the past and accuse him of failing to clearly condemn the use of Ustashe symbolism at such events. Picula has not publicly responded to the latest allegations.
Serbian parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabić criticised what she described as the European Union’s silence on the issue, questioning why no EU institution or political group had condemned what she called “openly organised neo-Nazi gatherings” in Croatia.
“How is it possible that chants glorifying fascism are tolerated within the European Union, while Serbia is constantly lectured on European values and the rule of law?” Brnabić wrote on the social media platform X, sharing footage from the Split concert.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has previously faced criticism after attending a rehearsal for one of Thompson’s concerts last year along with senior government ministers and his children, a move that drew backlash from rights groups and anti-fascist organisations.
Croatia officially condemns fascism and the Ustashe regime, but critics say ambiguous responses by parts of the political and cultural establishment have allowed extremist symbolism to persist at some public gatherings.
Serbia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the repeated incidents in Split could not be viewed as isolated cases and called for a clear rejection of historical revisionism and all forms of extremism in the region.
Thompson, one of Croatia’s most popular performers, has long been a controversial figure, with his concerts frequently drawing scrutiny over nationalist imagery and slogans used by sections of his audience. He has previously denied promoting fascism and says his music celebrates patriotism and the Homeland War of the 1990s.