The attack on Hrvoje Mratinić occurred on Wednesday morning in front of a building on Vis. According to our sources, the motive was the reduction of a local café's terrace, whose owner is the suspect's sister.
On Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at 7:45 a.m., a 35-year-old man physically attacked the Mayor of Vis, Hrvoje Mratinić (49), in front of a building at 30 May 1992 Square. According to a police statement reported by Prigorski, the attacker punched Mratinić in the head, then hit him with a helmet on his body, made threats, and damaged his bicycle. The mayor received medical assistance, and his injuries were assessed as minor.
"It has been established that there is reasonable suspicion that the 35-year-old punched the victim in the head, hit him with a helmet on the body, threatened him, and damaged his bicycle. The victim received medical assistance and was found to have sustained minor injuries," the police said in a statement for Prigorski.
A criminal investigation determined that the suspect committed three criminal offenses: attempted grievous bodily harm, threats, and damage to another's property. On Thursday, July 30, the police completed the investigation and announced that the suspect would be handed over to the custody supervisor along with criminal charges.
The suspect is the brother of the owner of a local café whose terrace on public property had recently been reduced by a municipal decision. According to information obtained by Index.hr and Prigorski, the owner learned of the decision five days before the attack, around July 24. Her brother allegedly waited for Mratinić in front of the building on Wednesday morning and attacked him as soon as the mayor arrived by bicycle to work.
Hrvoje Mratinić assumed office as Mayor of Vis in May 2025. As an independent candidate in the local elections, he defeated the long-serving HDZ mayor Ivo Radica, who had governed the city for 16 years.
The attack on Vis is not an isolated incident. As Slobodna Dalmacija reports, this summer on the Dalmatian coast there have been a series of physical altercations related to the struggle for tourist revenue. In Primošten, a few days before the attack on Mratinić, a well-known restaurateur named Ante kicked a stroller because, according to the newspaper, he couldn't pass through a narrow street due to placed tables. The police took him in.
At the same time, in Tučepi, about 150 kilometers south, two men physically attacked a third over a beach lounger. "They threw me on the ground and beat me in front of my children, all because of a lounger," an unnamed man told Slobodna Dalmacija. They were also taken into custody.
In a commentary, Slobodna Dalmacija recalls that similar scenes occurred in previous summers: two years ago in Vodice there were conflicts over loungers, and on Hvar a brawl broke out on the waterfront over the right to rent boats. "Nerves are fraying. There's not enough for everyone. The streets are narrow, there's no room for my and your plot, and the beaches aren't huge either," the newspaper describes, adding that "humanity has been completely lost in the race for money."
"In Split, at Gripe, the tenth month brings Golden Fight 14. Those of us who love combat sports can't wait. And we aren't even aware that it's already been going on all summer along our coast," concludes Slobodna Dalmacija.
Last weekend, fighter Joshua knocked out Prenga in the second round, and in October, Martinjak, Patrlj, and Stupalo will also perform at the aforementioned event. The newspaper ironically notes that tourist fights are already being waged "without gloves," from Vis to Hvar.
