craig

Croatians weep as Nazi pride is erased
By Our Foreign Staff
(Filed: 28/08/2004)

Two plaques erected in Croatia to commemorate officials from Nazi times
were removed amid heavy police security yesterday on the orders of the
Zagreb government.

It was the first such "de-Nazification" action since the country became
independent in 1991.

A plaque erected last week to honour Mile Budak, a writer who served as
education minister in Croatia's Nazi-allied Ustasha government of
1941-45, was removed by workers in Lovinac, central Croatia.

Budak signed into force racial laws under which the Ustasha regime
executed thousands of Jews, Serbs and gipsies.

The plaque was paid for by a group of emigres, mostly hard-liners who
fled to Australia and Canada in 1945. It attracted criticism from the
government, human rights groups and the Roman Catholic Church.

The other plaque to be removed honoured the Ustasha military commander
Jure Francetic, the founder of the notorious Black Legion that fought
in Bosnia. It was put up in the central town of Slunj two years ago.

The government ordered their removal at a meeting late on Thursday. The
cabinet also asked the justice ministry to draft amendments to the
penal code to ban the promotion of all totalitarian ideologies,
including communism and fascism.

The Ustasha era is seen elsewhere as a black mark on Croatia's history.
But few Croatians show shame about the country's support for Hitler.

Several villagers in Lovinac wept as workers took away the black marble
plaque to Budak under an escort provided by special forces police.

The nationalist government that ruled the country between independence
and 2000 was often accused of whitewashing Ustasha crimes and
re-installing some of its symbols.

However, Croatia is preparing for talks next year on membership of the
European Union and is eager to prove that its record on human rights
and democracy matches the criteria demanded by Brussels.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.../ixportal.html

finellach

Weep? LOL! :-)))))

steve hayes

I see you posted an identical article on 14 February.

Is there any particular reason for reposting it now?


--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

steve hayes

[Sorry of you see this twice - some cancelbot has removed all mail from
my server, so I don't know what has gone out and what hasn't]

I see you posted an identical article on 14 February.

Is there any particular reason for reposting it now?


--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

mimi

Trying to prove that croats are secret nazi-admirers, maybe ?

finellach

I wonder where was he when Serbia equalled anti-fascist Partisans with
pro-fascist Chetniks....

finellach

I wonder where was he when Serbia equalled anti-fascist Partisans with
pro-fascist Chetniks....