Croatia's top officials on Wednesday slammed the use of fascist symbols at a concert aimed at raising funds for the defence of the country's generals tried for war crimes committed during the 1991-1995 war. President Ivo Josipovic and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor in a joint statement "most strongly condemn the use of fascist symbols" during the concert held last Sunday in the central coastal town of Split "with the alleged aim to support Croatian generals and their defence before the UN war crimes court in The Hague". The two also called on HRT national television which broadcast the concert, to "act responsibly and urgently and adopt measures that would enable it in the future to immediately halt programmes in the case of a glorification of totalitarian ideologies".
Josipovic, the supreme commander of the country's armed forces, launched a probe into the participation of active military personnel in the concert, the statement said. Among the dozen singers who took part in the concert that was attended by thousands of people figured Marko Perkovic Thompson, a controversial singer known for his sympathies with the country's World War II pro-Nazi regime. His fans often display symbols of the Ustasha regime and use the Nazi salute. The concert was held to raise money for the defence of three former generals tried before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The three -- Ivan Cermak, Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac -- have been charged with war crimes against ethnic Serbs. Many Croatians see them as national heroes. Croatia's proclamation of independence from the former Yugoslavia sparked the 1991-1995 war with Belgrade-backed rebel Serbs who opposed the decision.
AFP
