United Against Fascism Marches

Thompson's concert in Zagreb

Significant examples of the rightward drift in rhetoric and symbolism included a July 2025 concert from Croatian right wing singer Marko "Thompson" Perković^[15] in the Croatian capital city, Zagreb, which organizers said was attended by approximately 500,000 people. Both domestic and international news coverage of the concert showed attendees performing pro-Nazi and pro-Ustaše salutes, which are normally punishable by Croatian law.^[16][17]

Before the concert began, Thompson fans around Zagreb sang songs celebrating the Ustaše and crimes against humanity during World War II. These included "Evo zore, evo dana",^[a][19] and "Jasenovac i Gradiška Stara".^[b][20] Thompson himself opened his song "Bojna Čavoglave" with the Ustaše war cry Za dom spremni ("For the homeland - ready!").^[21]

When the concert was over, Croatian minister of interior Davor Božinović published a video on TikTok in which he appeared in a black shirt, one of the and described the concert as: "a rarely seen spectacle".^[22] Defense minister Ivan Anušić confessed to the media that during the concert he responded to Thompson's Za dom spremni salute.^[23] In the days which followed the concert, Croatian MPs continued to use the salute during Croatian parliament sessions.^[24]

In the aftermath of the concert, Croatia's Ombudsperson criticized not only the concert-goers who engaged in the salutes but also the organizers and authorities for not denouncing the pro-Ustase messaging of the concert. Former Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and civil rights activists also expressed their concerns about the lack of governmental or media response to the concert.^[25]

Disruption of cultural events, resurgence of commemorative events

In late August 2025, a group of Croatian war veterans prevented the cultural festival in Benkovac, while also insulting and attacking journalist Melita Vrsaljko.^[26] According to Vrsaljko, police officers greeted the veterans amicably despite the attack and failed to protect her when one of them struck her. When the veterans blocked access to her car, police refused to allow her to reach it, forcing her to call her parents to retrieve the vehicle; they, too, were insulted by the veterans as they passed.^[27] Few days later, another group of veterans attempted to prevent the Fališ cultural festival in Šibenik.^[28]

In October 2025, the Croatian parliament hosted a round table which downplayed the number of victims of the World War II era Jasenovac concentration camp.^[24] On the round table, one of the main speakers was Igor Vukić who claimed on the round table that: "Jasenovac was a work camp, but not a torture house or a death camp".^[29]

On 3 November 2025 some 70 masked individuals burst into the building where the Days of Serb culture in Split were held and illegally cancelled it.^[30] On 7 November 2025 masked hooligans attempted to prevent an exhibition dedicated to legacy of Dejan Medaković in Serb Cultural Center in Zagreb.^[31] They sang songs celebrating the Independent State of Croatia (the pro-Nazi puppet state run by the Ustaše during WWII), insulted and spat on journalists, and gave roman salutes^[32] before being chased away by the police.^[31] On 9 November a group of masked and armed hooligans attempted to attack Serb teenage karate team in Rijeka.^[33]

On 29 November 2025, members of the far-right Autochthonous Croatian Party of Rights protested in front of the apartment of Croatian center-left politician and parliamentarian Dalija Orešković.^[34] The protest leader Dražen Keleminec labelled Orešković "a Yugoslav" and accused her of attacking war veteran and singer Marko Perković Thompson, denouncing the wartime salute "Za dom spremni," and of other comments about war, nationalism, and history.^[35] Tomo Medved, Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Veterans commented on the protest by saying that said Orešković "should tone down" what he described as her aggressive public rhetoric — arguing that many war veterans and others expressed dissatisfaction with her stance on the Homeland War and related issues.^[36]

Zagreb

The march in Zagreb gathered some 10,000 protesters who marched from King Tomislav Square to Ban Jelačić Square,^[39] where several speakers such as: actor Damir Markovina, writer Olja Savičević Ivančević, student Eva Marija Jurešić and cultural worker and activist Franka de Syo held their speeches.^[40] The organizer Marija Mileta subsequently stated that the organizers anticipated around 500 protesters and were surprised by the number of 10,000 people.^[41]

Zadar

In Zadar, hundreds of people joined the antifascist march on Obala kneza Branimira. The protest began peacefully and organized, however, shortly after the march began, a masked duo on a motorboat threw red paint at the protesters. As the column reached the city, several dozen counter-protesters, including members of the Homeland War Women's Association, confronted them. A group of masked men shouted insults and approached the march physically, but police intervened, using restraint and irritant spray.^[42]

Rijeka

In Rijeka, the antifascist protesters were attacked by a group of about thirty masked men in black who threw firecrackers at participants before the march even started at Jadranski trg. After the march, in the Štriga café, masked individuals threw flares, injuring one person in the back.^[43]

Pula

In Pula on November 30, 2025, citizens gathered at Rojc Center and set off at noon for a march under the common banner "United Against Fascism".^[44] The march proceeded peacefully, passing through Monte Zaro toward the city market, with demonstrators carrying banners such as "Freedom is stronger than fear" and "Fascists are parasites of society."^[44] According to organizers, about 1,530 people participated.^[9]

Court Ruling on the Rijeka Incidents

In January 2026, The Municipal Court in Rijeka concluded that group of attackers deliberately approached the protest with the intent to intimidate participants. They shouted slogans associated with the Ustaša movement and the World War II–era Independent State of Croatia (NDH), including "Za dom spremni", and performed gestures interpreted as fascist salutes. One protest participant was physically assaulted, while others were verbally harassed. The six adults were fined a total of €21,315, with several receiving near-maximum penalties under public order laws. The minor received educational measures, including a temporary ban from attending football matches and mandatory counseling. In its ruling, the court emphasized that Za dom spremni was an official salute of the Ustaša regime, which it described as a fascist and totalitarian state responsible for crimes against humanity, and concluded that its public use constitutes intimidation and a disturbance of public peace.^[47][48]

Counter-protests

On 10 December 2025, a group of Croatian war veterans held a protest in Vinkovci under the slogan "Five to Twelve for the Homeland." The organizers claimed that anti-fascist marches were an attempt to "publicly shame Croatia" and to relativize or undermine the values of the Homeland War. They objected especially to the presence of symbols such as the red star, which they described as a symbol of death in Vukovar, and to the appearance of Cyrillic signs. Veterans' representatives argued that some slogans heard at the anti-fascist marches amounted not to protest but to "criminal acts," including alleged calls to overthrow the constitutional order. They warned about what they called the rise of "left-wing nationalism" in Croatia and urged state institutions to protect the Constitution and the values it promotes.^[49]

Counter-petitions

On 10 December 2025, Homeland Movement's Youth started an on-line petition to "remove gay prides and antifa marches from the centers of Croatian cities."^[50] Their petition states: "Since a radically left-wing petition aims to remove prayer groups from public squares in Croatian city centers, we believe the same should apply to all leftist and 'human-rights' gatherings, because the Republic of Croatia guarantees an equal level of rights to all its citizens."^[50]

Persecution of organizers

In April 2026, the Croatian Ministry of the Interior initiated a misdemeanor proceeding against Marija Mileta, the organizer of an anti-fascist march held in Zagreb. Authorities alleged that, as the organizer of a public assembly, she failed to ensure public order due to the display of several banners during the protest. These included slogans such as "If you are afraid of the dark, we will set the city on fire," "Balkan federation without states and nations," and "Intifada until victory," as well as a banner featuring the hammer and sickle symbol.^[51] Mileta rejected the accusations, describing the charges as unfounded and politically motivated. She argued that the protest, which gathered more than 10,000 participants, proceeded peacefully and without incidents, and that the banners represented political expression rather than incitement to violence.^[51] The case was brought before the Municipal Misdemeanor Court in Zagreb, where proceedings began in April 2026.^[52] The Office of the Ombudsperson announced that it was monitoring the proceedings, emphasizing that the right to public assembly is guaranteed by the Constitution, international treaties, and national legislation, and noting that the issue remained a significant topic in 2025 and beyond.^[51] In July 2026, the Municipal Misdemeanor Court in Zagreb acquitted Marija Mileta of all charges. Judge Tonka Grgičević ruled that the controversial banners did not incite violence or pose a real threat, emphasizing that freedom of assembly and expression are fundamental constitutional values protected in a democratic society.^[53] Following Mileta's acquittal, her legal counsel, Lina Budak, became the target of anonymous threats. Between 8 and 12 July 2026, an anonymous letter was left in the mailbox of Budak's law office. The letter, signed by "Ustaše" and concluding with the fascist salute "Za dom spremni", was dated 5 July 2026 (marked by the sender as the anniversary of a concert by the nationalist singer Marko Perković Thompson). It contained vulgar insults and explicit threats directed at Budak and Mileta, explicitly referencing Budak's successful defense of Mileta. The text also targeted the weekly magazine Novosti and politician Milorad Pupovac, both of whom Budak represents as legal counsel. Budak officially reported the incident to the Minister of the Interior, Davor Božinović, noting that she had filed a similar threat report in July 2025 without receiving updates on the investigation. In her public letter, Budak criticized state authorities for tolerating Ustaše symbols under the guise of "dual connotations," arguing that institutional passivity encourages vigilantism against civic actors and compromises the constitutional independence of the legal profession.^[54]

Public recognition of organizers

In June 2025, Marija Mileta, serving as an organizer and public representative of the United Against Fascism Initiative, was presented with the prestigious Nada Dimić Award (Nagrada "Nada Dimić). The award is presented annually by the *Fund for Others* (*Fond za druge*) to individuals and initiatives demonstrating exceptional civic courage, resistance to oppression, and promotion of freedom of expression. The jury honored Mileta and her collective for successfully organizing multi-city mobilization across Croatia, recognizing their decisive civil response to rising right-wing extremism, cultural censorship, and violence in the public sphere.^[55]

Disinformation about the protest

News site Narodno.hr published an article suggesting that some 15 buses with Serbian and Bosnian licence plates transported people with banners which were later seen at the protest in Zagreb. This was refuted by the fact checking site Faktograf.hr which contacted both protest organizers and Croatian border police to check the claim.^[63]