SNV, the Coordination of Jewish Communities, and Documenta demand an investigation and condemnation of vandalism; the plaque was destroyed in early August, just a month and a half after being installed.
A memorial plaque erected in honor of the victims of the Ustasha camps in Slana Cove and Metajna on the island of Pag has been destroyed for the fourth time since 1991. The plaque was last installed on June 24, 2026, and its destruction occurred in early August, the Serb National Council (SNV) announced on August 13, 2026.
This year's restoration of the plaque was organized by three institutions: the SNV, the Coordination of Jewish Communities, and Documenta, Center for Dealing with the Past, with the support of the Mayor of Novalja, Ivan Dabo. A photograph of the destroyed plaque, taken by Jernej Božić, was published by the SNV in its statement on August 6.
Boris Milošević, Ognjen Kraus, and Vesna Teršelič, representatives of the organizations that installed the plaque, issued a joint appeal to the relevant authorities.
"We demand an effective investigation from the institutions of the Republic of Croatia, primarily the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Directorate. We demand a statement from the Ministry of Culture and Media regarding the destruction of the plaque in a protected cultural heritage area, and from local and national authorities we demand condemnation of the vandalism and the installation of a new plaque in the presence of representatives of the Croatian Government," said Milošević, Kraus, and Teršelič.
At the unveiling of the plaque in June, Mayor Dabo stated:
"May Slana continue to warn us today about the dehumanization of the other, of those who are different, so that such atrocities never happen again. And may all victims rest in peace, and may their relatives and extended kin accept my apologies."
The first plaque in Slana Cove was installed in 1975 by the Association of Fighters of the Island of Rab, but it was destroyed in 1991. The SNV installed restored plaques in 2010 and 2013, but on both occasions they were destroyed just a few days after installation.
According to SNV data, the Slana camp was located on about five hectares, five kilometers from Metajna, on a rocky surface without water or vegetation. The first detainees were Jews arrested in Zagreb, brought to Slana on June 24, 1941. From July 10, 1941, the number of Serbs in the camp increased significantly. The camp ceased operations after the Italian fascist reoccupation of the island in August 1941.
According to Index data, the first internees of the Pag camp were Jews arrested in Zagreb on June 20, 1941, while N1 cites June 24, 1941, as the date of their arrival in Slana. These are different aspects of the same event: the arrest in Zagreb and the transport to the camp.
The first group of detainees consisted of about thirty Zagreb Jews, followed by Serbs and a smaller number of Croats. Serbs and Croats were housed in the northern part of the camp, while Jews were held in the southern part. The camp ceased to operate after Italy took over the Velebit and Pag area in mid-August 1941 under the Rome Agreements with the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), and the last detainees were either killed or transferred to other detention sites of the NDH.
