GRAFFITI READING “KILL THE PUPOVACS” APPEARS IN NEW ZAGREB

ZAGREB, JUNE 21 /SRNA/ – Graffiti reading “Kill the Pupovacs” appeared on the walls of a tunnel near the Savski Gaj Elementary School in New Zagreb, representing the latest death threat directed at Serbs and their political representatives.

The Serb National Council /SNV/ stated that the graffiti was written yesterday and, this time, used the plural form, which could refer either to all relatives of Milorad Pupovac, the leader of Independent Democratic Serb Party /SDSS/, or to those whom he represents politically. The SNV emphasized that this is part of a long-standing and almost continuous pattern of public incitement to hatred and violence, as well as direct calls for the death of the leading representative of Serbs in Croatia. Death threats against Pupovac, expressions of hatred, and the glorification of the Ustasha ideology and Nazism appeared at the end of January, when an unidentified individual left a message claiming that there were “New Zagreb Ustasha”. In March, graffiti appeared on the walls of the same tunnel near the Savski Gaj Elementary School, including “Ustasha Cobras” with the Ustasha letter “U” and a cross above it, “Rise, Ante,” “Kill Pupovac,” a crossed-out hammer and sickle, and the slogan “For the Homeland- Ready!”. Pupovac, the SDSS leader, said at the time that none of these incidents surprised him, noting that messages such as “Kill a Serb” had long been freely written or shouted before, during, and after sporting and musical events. He also stated that some of these messages of hatred could be heard in the Croatian Parliament and that the media often provided them with public exposure without condemnation or comment. “With such an attitude toward these kinds of messages, we can expect only their further spread and radicalization. Therefore, we must ask ourselves what comes next and who the next target will be,” Pupovac said.