Knin Councilman Lashes Out at Politicians
Tomislav Čolak claims Knin is half-empty during the morning hours of the Operation Storm anniversary, with the real atmosphere created only by fans and a guest from Hong Kong.
Tomislav Čolak claims Knin is half-empty during the morning hours of the Operation Storm anniversary, with the real atmosphere created only by fans and a guest from Hong Kong.
Tomislav Čolak, a councilman in the Knin City Council, has issued sharp criticism of the organization of the central celebration of the Operation Storm anniversary. In a press release published on August 6, 2026, Čolak claimed that Knin's streets are increasingly empty each year during the morning part of the program, while the official protocol is underway.
"Every year, there are fewer of us. Veterans are dying and leaving, and the people are withdrawing. The fact that the royal city is becoming emptier on this historic day is a sad and shameful picture of society's attitude toward our brightest victory," Čolak told DalmacijaDanas.
According to the councilman, the ruling structures have turned the commemoration into an event focused on protocol, television cameras, and political speeches, while neglecting the citizens and veterans themselves. "With their elitism and distancing from their own people, they have achieved what was once unthinkable, they turned the morning Knin into a half-empty, ghostly backdrop," he stated.
He particularly criticized the impression that they have turned a "sacred day into a private party," suggesting that the commemoration has been reduced to formal speeches and a program that fails to attract crowds to the city's squares and streets.
As a bright spot of the entire event, Čolak highlighted the arrival of numerous fan groups that flooded Knin on August 5. According to a report by the portal Hooligans.cz, thousands of Croatian nationalists, supported by ultras groups including Torcida Split, Maligani Sinj, Ultras Mostar, Tornado Zadar, Demoni Pula, and Škripari Široki Brijeg, participated in paying tribute.
"Only in the afternoon, when the politicians leave the city, thanks to the fans, Knin finally breathes. That's when the real, magnificent bustle is created, a thunder of song and pride worthy of the Operation Storm anniversary," Čolak said.
He particularly highlighted Yat Lung Ztea, a visitor from Hong Kong who, he claims, travels thousands of kilometers every year to be in Knin for the Operation Storm anniversary. "While domestic politicians use Operation Storm to score points, this foreigner teaches us a lesson about what it means to respect the blood shed for freedom," Čolak's statement reads.
