Fury Over Fence in Knin
Citizens at the 31st Anniversary of Operation Storm Were Separated from Official Guests, and MP Miro Bulj's Move to Remove the Tape Further Fueled the Debate.
Citizens at the 31st Anniversary of Operation Storm Were Separated from Official Guests, and MP Miro Bulj's Move to Remove the Tape Further Fueled the Debate.
The commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the military-police operation Storm in Knin, held on August 6, 2026, sparked a wave of criticism among citizens. The issue was not the ceremony itself, but its organization, officials were placed in a specially fenced area, while the public was physically separated by a tape that barred them from approaching the state leadership.
This arrangement also displeased MP Miro Bulj, who during the program removed the dividing tape himself. This act triggered a series of reactions and further inflamed the already simmering public discontent.
The portal Zagreb.info asked its Facebook readers what they thought about citizens being left behind fences at the Knin celebration, separated from the political elite. Responses quickly piled up, with most not hiding their outrage.
"On the front line of the battlefield were the veterans, now they're in the background, and the politicians are now on the front line!" one female reader pointed out. Another went a step further, calling out names: "Deserters Milanović and Plenković, who did not participate in the Homeland War, in the front rows at the celebration. By merit, they should be above the fence."
A sense of humiliation dominated the comments. "Humiliating. The government treats us like third-class citizens in all its actions," read one post. Others were shorter but no less angry: "This is Croatia, shameful," one user said, while another sarcastically concluded: "Citizens have exactly the government they deserve..."
One commenter linked the Knin event to a broader pattern of government behavior. "They've already 'fenced themselves off' from the people long ago. A fence at St. Mark's Square, a fence in Knin, and when they're driven from point A to point B, they're in armored cars with police escorts," he wrote.
There were also opinions that public figures and politicians overshadowed the original purpose of the commemoration. "Clear proof that again Thompson and politicians stole a dignified celebration and observance of Operation Storm Day," one reader wrote. Some commented on the whole situation with a touch of irony: "I'd love to take a photo and stand next to Jandroković; who comes to the celebration for them?"
