Caleta, Charged Over Serbian Culture Days, Elected in Split

Jakov Caleta, a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) who was indicted in early October over the disruption of the Serbian Culture Days event in Split, has been unanimously elected president of the Blatine-Skrape district council. The news matters in Serbia because the people whose program was cut short included guests from Novi Sad. The vote took place at the constitutive session of the new council, held on October 21, 2026.

What was decided at the constitutive session?

Ante Glavas was also elected vice president unanimously. The same session appointed a commission for the temporary allocation of district premises, made up of Glavas, Marin Sicic and Ivan Kontrec. Dalmatinski Portal, which published the news the same day at 5:15 p.m., reports that the new council begins work with the aim of improving life in the district and connecting better with residents of Blatine and Skrape.

Last year, when he took over as head of the HDZ branch in Blatine-Skrape, Caleta announced that he would launch an initiative, together with the Split 3 district, to build a church as a new spiritual and social center of the neighborhood. He also plans a digital platform and an info cabinet for reporting problems and collecting citizens’ proposals, along with a stronger presence on social media.

How did the HDZ take over the district?

Caleta headed a joint list of the HDZ and the Homeland Movement at the district elections held on September 27, and that list had no opposing candidate. The district was led in recent years by Davor Matijevic, a former member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), so control now passes to the HDZ.

A coalition of Centar, the SDP, Mozemo and Direkt also intended to run, but one of its candidates withdrew at the last moment. A replacement was found, yet the list was not accepted because, in the coalition’s words, it was submitted a minute after the deadline.

What does the indictment say about November 3, 2025?

According to the indictment, a group of at least 50 men, some of them masked, burst into the Blatine district premises on November 3, 2025, where Serbian Culture Days were being held, and stopped the program. Participants, including children, elderly people and guests from Novi Sad, were ordered to leave. As members of Prosvjeta and the guests walked out of the hall, unidentified people dressed in black shouted: “For the homeland, ready! This is Croatia! Serbian trash! Kill the Serb.” The indictment says this left the people leaving the hall feeling humiliated.

Eight men are charged, Caleta among them, with violent behavior and violating the right to assembly and public protest. Prosecutors propose sentences of eight months for one offense and six months for the other, combined into a single sentence of one year, suspended, with a three-year probation period.

The charge has changed from an earlier stage, however. After the incident last November, the State Attorney’s Office of the Republic of Croatia suspected three men of violent behavior and of violating the freedom to express national affiliation out of hatred, while the indictment now filed refers to a violation of the right to assembly and public protest.

What does Caleta say about the indictment?

Caleta claims he committed no crime, that there was no violence, and that none of the Prosvjeta members or their guests accused him of anything. In his account, those gathered were provoked by the timing of the event, not long before the anniversary of the suffering of Vukovar and Skrabnja, and as a district councilor he felt it was his duty to check what was going on. He especially questioned the timing of the indictment, speaking about it, according to Index, to Dalmatinski Portal:

“That is certainly no coincidence. At the district elections held three days ago, the HDZ won power in Blatine, and right now an indictment is being raised.”

Caleta’s statement does not give the date the indictment was filed, and the sources say only that it was in early October.

After the incident, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic answered a reporter’s question about one of those arrested in Split being an HDZ member. He said he does not know the gentleman, but knows he exists, that colleagues speak very well of him, and that they say he happened to be there by chance. Index then published a photograph of the two men shaking hands.

Caleta has also been publicly backed by Ivica Kusic, a member of the Split HDZ and head of the Tax Administration for Split-Dalmatia County, who dedicated an Instagram story to him. On it he posted a photo of Caleta holding a bottle of Coca-Cola, captioned “philosopher,” with heart and folded-hands emojis.