CALL TO BAN CONCERTS PROMOTING USTASHA IDEOLOGY

BANJA LUKA, FEBRUARY 16 /SRNA/ - The Veterans' Organization of Republika Srpska has strongly opposed plans for Croatian musician Marko Perković Thompson to hold several additional concerts in Herzegovina following his performance in Široki Brijeg, stating that such events represent the open spread of Ustasha ideology.

"At these concerts, chants are heard that all decent people are ashamed of. They insult the Serb people as a constituent people in BiH, which is in itself sufficient reason for these concerts to be banned," the organization said in a statement. The Veterans' Organization stressed that today's Europe is built on anti-fascism and that the competent authorities and institutions of BiH, if they truly wish to lead the country along a European path, could at least begin by banning such concerts. The organization called on the institutions of Republika Srpska and all Serb representatives in the joint institutions of BiH to act in accordance with the law, examine the circumstances surrounding the event, and take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of fascist and Nazi ideology and symbolism in public space. The statement recalls that genocide against Serbs was carried out under Ustasha slogans during World War II, as well as numerous crimes during the last war in BiH. "Allowing this ideology to be openly spread and promoted represents a civilizational step backward and seriously disturbs all anti-fascists who fought against fascism and Nazism in this region during the 20th century, among whom the largest number were Serbs," the statement said. The controversial Croatian singer Marko Perković Thompson performed the song "Bojna Čavoglave" at a concert on Friday, February 13, in Široki Brijeg, including the Ustasha salute "Za dom spremni!", which the audience chanted along with him. The performance at the Pecara Sports Hall featured iconography associated with the infamous Independent State of Croatia and references to the wars of the 1990s. It has been announced that Perković may hold additional concerts in Herzegovina, the first of which is expected to take place in Mostar.