Split Police Begin Arrests Over Torcida Nazi Chants
Police have identified at least ten people from the march before Hajduk's match with Ajax. Milanovic, Plenkovic and Pupovac have responded, and HDZ founders want Serbia investigated.
Split police began arrests and criminal processing on Friday morning of people suspected of Nazi and antisemitic chants during a Torcida march. The march went through the city on Thursday, before Hajduk’s Conference League match against Ajax. Police have identified at least ten suspects, some of whom were already known to the justice system.
The story has a Serbian angle too. The Community of Founders of the HDZ “Dr. Franjo Tudjman” has called on Croatian security services to determine whether the incidents were accidental or staged to confirm the thesis of a “Serbian world.” The statement, as carried by Index, offers no evidence for that assumption, and the event itself, as Croatian and regional media describe it, played out on the streets of Split in front of police and citizens.
What was heard in the march toward Poljud?
On the way to the Poljud stadium, the crowd chanted “Auschwitz, Auschwitz,” “Crush, crush, crush the Jews,” “Rise, Adolf” and “Come on, come on, Ustasha.” A yellow car with a coffin marked “Ajax” drove at the head of the column. Police confirmed that chants with elements of punishable conduct were recorded during the march.
The suspects are charged with publicly inciting violence and hatred, for which the Croatian Criminal Code provides a sentence of up to three years in prison.
The match was halted in the 77th minute because of pyrotechnics and thick smoke, and resumed after 12 minutes. Hajduk won 2-1, its first win in 16 years in the main phase of a European competition.
The day before, a brawl on the Riva
As we reported, about 500 people took part in disorder on Split’s Riva on Wednesday evening. In total, 57 people are being processed by police: five were arrested for attacking officers, among them a Polish citizen, and another 52 rioters were detained. Thursday’s chants therefore come at the end of a multi-day string of incidents, after which police had already deployed additional forces.
Reactions: from Milanovic to Pupovac
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said in a statement:
“The behavior of some Torcida fans in Split is unacceptable, shameful and deserving of every condemnation.”
He demanded a swift and systemic response from the police, the state prosecutor’s office and the courts, and said the Government’s condemnations so far were not enough:
“The words of condemnation we hear from the Government are no longer enough”
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said from Brussels that he expects police to establish who shouted the slogans and file charges, and for the courts to act. He also said: “I am truly disappointed.” The incident was condemned by the Government, the Israeli embassy in Zagreb, the SDP and Mozemo parties, and Split Mayor Tomislav Suta of the HDZ. The Israeli embassy said it was “deeply shocked” and thanked the Government for its swift reaction.
Milorad Pupovac, a member of parliament and chair of the Committee on Human Rights and the Rights of National Minorities, said in a statement carried by N1 that the problem goes beyond the police:
“This is no longer a police matter, these are not individuals and groups that the police should be left to deal with.”
He added that this outcome was to be expected: “It was only a matter of time, and that time has come, for this to be turned against the Jews.”
Croatian member of the European Parliament Tonino Picula (SDP) told N1 he criticized the reactions of the authorities and the European Commission, and told society: “These are dangerous scenes, and you must react as a society and a state.”
Hajduk’s apology and the HDZ founders’ statement
Hajduk apologized for the interruption of the match and the pyrotechnics, and said it is ready to bear responsibility as a club. The apology, as carried by N1, says nothing about the chants before the match.
The statement of the Community of Founders of the HDZ was signed by its president, Ivica Tafra. It says:
“Croatia was defended by heroes, and hooligans bring shame upon it.”
Elsewhere in the statement it reads: “Those who created this shameful incident are not ours.” The Community asks security services to determine whether the incidents were “accidental or staged.”
Police are continuing the criminal processing, and what comes next depends on the criminal complaints expected against the identified people.
