In a significant demonstration of the polarized nature of Croatian society, a concert by ultra-nationalist singer Marko Perkovic, popularly known as Thompson, has captured widespread attention. Dubbed by some as a "neo-fascist Croatian Woodstock," the event revealed a complex tapestry of interpretations concerning Croatia's 1990s independence struggle alongside the legacy of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a Nazi puppet regime during World War Two.
While Thompson's management boasted sales exceeding half a million tickets for the concert held at Zagreb Hippodrome, official attendance figures indicated numbers lower yet still reaching into the hundreds of thousands. The substantial crowd, many chanting along to Thompson’s opening track, "Čavoglave Battalion," reflected a divide in public sentiment. The familiar cry of "Za dom" ("for homeland") was met with the audience's resonant reply of "Spremni!" ("ready!"), a chant that has sparked intense debate and critique.
Opposition parties and human rights organizations lament the use of "Za dom, spremni," a slogan traced back to the Ustasha organization, notorious for its anti-Semitic actions during the war. According to Croatia's Constitutional Court, this slogan is deemed inconsistent with the nation's constitution. "This has opened Pandora's box," remarked Tena Banjeglav from Documenta – Centre for Dealing with the Past, highlighting the risks of normalizing nationalist fervor.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's casual dismissal of the chanting as merely "part of Thompson's repertoire," compounded by a public photo-op with the artist just before the concert, reflects a governmental ambivalence toward the rising nationalism. Conservative perspectives, such as that of Matija Štahan, advocate for Thompson's right to recite the song as emblematic of freedom against aggression.
The Youth Initiative for Human Rights has been less forgiving, firmly branding the chant as fascist and expressing disappointment in Croatia's failure to reckon with its wartime past, especially regarding the implications of its actions in Bosnia and treatment of its Serbian population.
Historians argue that moments like these have amplified since Brexit, suggesting that Croatia's struggles with reconciling its past have grown in visibility amid a nationalist resurgence that stifles open discussions about pressing contemporary issues, such as tourism challenges and climate change.
As debates continue to unfold, Thompson's concerts and the surrounding discussions are symptomatic of deeper societal struggles, where nationalism and historical memory collide, shaping the future identity of Croatia.
