The accused individuals allegedly performed the salute of the Ustasha, Croatia’s Nazi-backed government during the Second World War, in what is the latest of several public displays of support for a regime that persecuted and killed hundreds of thousands of people.
On Sunday, thousands of anti-fascist protesters rallied in four cities against the rise in far-right incidents, including the disruption of a Serb community event by masked men in early November.
In Rijeka, on the northern Adriatic coast, around 30 people wearing masks were filmed performing the Ustasha salute in confrontation with the anti-fascist demonstration. Fireworks were also heard exploding in the crowd. Protest organisers said two people were injured by a flare and a firework during the incident.
Police told AFP they had charged nine people with public order offences over the confrontation, including for shouting the Ustasha salute while raising their right arms. After being questioned at a municipal court, all nine were released. If found guilty, they face up to 30 days in jail and fines of up to 4,000 euros ($4,670).
Observers earlier warned AFP that the country’s current rightward shift involved a growing attempt to rehabilitate the image of the Ustasha. Since 2024, the right-wing Homeland Movement has been a junior partner in the coalition government led by conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s HDZ.
The Ustasha persecuted and killed hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma and anti-fascist Croats during World War II. Although their Independent State of Croatia (NDH) was a Nazi puppet state, their modern sympathisers view them as the nation’s founding fathers.
