The journalist commented on media coverage of the four suspects accused of setting fires in the Zadar hinterland, noting that the public is being presented with a narrative that downplays the seriousness of the case.
Gordan Malić, a journalist, has offered his take on the arrest of four individuals charged with starting fires in the Zadar hinterland, highlighting what he sees as an unusual approach by the media in covering this event. Based on police reports released so far, the four are suspected of causing ten fires, and two of them were found in possession of weapons.
Malić notes that the police have so far established that among those arrested are four individuals of Serbian ethnicity with Croatian citizenship, some of whom also hold dual citizenship-Serbian and Polish. The suspects, as reported, had access to a semi-automatic rifle and a pistol.
In his analysis, Malić focuses particularly on the details that have emerged about the private and social lives of the accused. As he ironically observes, the public is being told that some of them had good relations with Croats, that they socialized and drank with locals, while one is said to have been defrauded in a business deal, and another is described as a farmer who used state subsidies.
Malić believes this creates a public image that downplays the gravity of the case. "What suddenly came over them? What kind of hardship drove them to this?" Malić writes in his commentary.
He concludes with a cynical assessment of the case, claiming that in Croatia, following the arrest of the four suspects, "an anti-Serb witch hunt is underway."
"It's been three days since the arsonists in the Zadar hinterland were caught. The police have so far established that these are four individuals of Serbian ethnicity with Croatian citizenship. Some also hold dual citizenship-Serbian and Polish. They are responsible for ten fires and were in possession of a semi-automatic rifle and a pistol. What are the media revealing? First-they all had friends among Croats, they drank with them and didn't hate anyone; one of the arrested is a victim of fraud by some Croatian mafia company, another is a hardworking farmer subsidized by the state, a third always greeted politely, with 'praise Jesus' or 'ZDS'-it hasn't been reliably determined. What suddenly came over them? What kind of hardship drove them to this? But it is known, reliably known, that an anti-Serb witch hunt is underway."
Gordan Malić's commentary was published on the portal Hrvatska Danas on August 18, 2026.
