Croatian leaders condemn pro-Nazi chants by Hajduk Split fans before Ajax match
Croatia's president, prime minister and Israel's embassy denounced anti-Semitic chanting by Hajduk Split supporters before Thursday's European match against Ajax in Split.
At a glance
- Hajduk Split fans chanted "Crush the Jews", "Rise up Adolf" and "Let's go Ustasha" in Split before Thursday's match against Ajax.
- President Zoran Milanovic called the incident "unacceptable and shameful"; PM Andrej Plenkovic and Israel's embassy also condemned it.
- Hajduk Split won 2-1 and apologised to UEFA and Ajax; police opened an investigation and detained suspects.
Croatian leaders and Israel's embassy condemned pro-Nazi and anti-Semitic chants by Hajduk Split supporters before the club's European match against Ajax in Split on Thursday. Hajduk won the game 2-1.
Groups of Hajduk Split fans, known as the Torcida, marched through the coastal town before the match chanting "Crush the Jews", "Rise up Adolf (Hitler)" and "Let's go Ustasha", a reference to Croatia's World War II pro-Nazi regime, local media reported. Dozens of fans were detained before the match for violence, and police said an investigation had been opened into the chants, with suspects being detained.
During the game, Torcida fans set off flares and other pyrotechnics in the stands, forcing a stoppage of more than 10 minutes.
Condemnation from across Croatian politics
President Zoran Milanovic said in a Friday statement that the incident was "unacceptable and shameful". He urged swift action against those responsible to "show that there is no place in Croatia for the glorification of Nazism and Ustasha ideology".
Israel's embassy in Zagreb said on X it was "deeply shocked by the serious antisemitic incident that took place in Split" and condemned it "in the strongest possible terms".
Conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also condemned "messages of anti-Semitism ... completely at odds with the values we want to uphold in Croatian society".
Hajduk Split issued an apology to UEFA and to Ajax for scenes "which we do not want Europe to remember". The Croatian football federation also condemned the incident.
A long-running problem
Croatia's ultra-nationalist hardcore supporters have tainted the country's image for years, notably by chanting pro-fascist slogans and displaying Ustasha symbols. The Ustasha regime killed and persecuted hundreds of thousands of ethnic Serbs, Jews, Roma and antifascist Croatians.
UEFA docked Croatia a point in 2015 after their fans painted a swastika on the pitch in Split before a Euro 2016 qualifier with Italy. In recent years the country has seen growing tolerance for its pro-Nazi past, and critics accuse the authorities of failing to sanction the use of Ustasha emblems.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- What did Hajduk Split fans chant before the Ajax match?
- Groups of Torcida supporters marched through Split chanting "Crush the Jews", "Rise up Adolf (Hitler)" and "Let's go Ustasha", referring to Croatia's World War II pro-Nazi regime, according to local media.
- How did Croatian leaders respond to the chants?
- President Zoran Milanovic called the incident "unacceptable and shameful" and urged swift action. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic condemned the anti-Semitic messages, and Israel's embassy in Zagreb said it was deeply shocked.
- What happened at the Hajduk Split versus Ajax match?
- Hajduk Split beat Ajax 2-1. Dozens of fans were detained for violence before the game, and Torcida fans set off flares and pyrotechnics that forced a stoppage of more than 10 minutes.
