Political dispute over Croatian flags on Ban Jelačić Square escalates ahead of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day. HDZ accuses city government of lacking symbols, while Možemo counters that flags are permanently displayed.
The day before the observance of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders, the central Zagreb square became the scene of a sharp political conflict. The trigger, according to Zagreb's HDZ, was the absence of Croatian flags on Ban Josip Jelačić Square, which drew a fierce reaction from the president of the HDZ City Organization of Zagreb, Ivan Matijević.
According to Zagreb.info, no Croatian flags were placed on Ban Jelačić Square this year ahead of the national holiday, leaving only the flags of the long-finished Folklore Festival. "While the city administration readily uses public space to promote its own ideological and political messages, the absence of any symbol of Croatian statehood once again shows how alienated the Zagreb authorities are from the sense of national pride felt by a large part of Zagreb's and Croatia's citizens," Matijević said.
Matijević attributed responsibility for such a decision to Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević, who is also co-coordinator of the Možemo! platform, and to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which, together with Možemo!, holds a majority in the Zagreb City Assembly. He emphasized that the main city square must be a place where important national holidays are marked and tribute is paid to Croatian defenders.
"Zagreb is nobody's ideological testing ground, but the capital of Croatia: its central square must be a place of national pride and gratitude to Croatian defenders, because in Zagreb, the Croatian flag, Operation Storm, and Victory Day must never be silenced, suppressed, or forgotten," the head of Zagreb's HDZ said.
From the Možemo platform, they quickly responded to the accusations, calling them lies. In a statement carried by Tportal, they pointed out that on the northern flagpoles east of the statue of Ban Jelačić, a large flag of the Republic of Croatia, as well as flags of the City of Zagreb and the European Union, are always and continuously displayed.
"Zagreb's HDZ today made another lie, claiming that today, on Ban Jelačić Square, ahead of tomorrow's national holiday, there is not a single Croatian flag. If they knew Ban Jelačić Square at all, they would know that on the northern flagpoles east of the statue of Ban Jelačić, a large flag of the Republic of Croatia, as well as flags of the City of Zagreb and the European Union, are always and continuously displayed," they said from Možemo.
They also noted that every year, immediately before this national holiday, additional Croatian flags are hung on the southern flagpoles on Ban Jelačić Square, and the same will happen tonight. From Možemo, they believe that such "cheap political tricks" have no place ahead of Victory Day, emphasizing that Mayor Tomašević laid wreaths at Mirogoj this morning for Croatian defenders, together with representatives of associations stemming from the Homeland War. They also announced that Tomašević will participate in the celebration in Knin tomorrow, as he has every year since he was first elected mayor in 2021.
After the verbal exchange, members of Zagreb's HDZ decided to intervene themselves and placed Croatian flags on Ban Jelačić Square, wrapping them around the monument and on the poles. Tportal reports that this was done "as if at some village fair."
Meanwhile, messages from the state level arrived on the occasion of the anniversary. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Croatian Veterans Tomo Medved congratulated Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, the Day of Croatian Defenders, and the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm. "The Homeland War is the foundation of our statehood, Operation Storm is the crown of all our battles, and the Croatian flag atop Knin Fortress is the symbol of our victory," Medved wrote on Twitter, adding that Operation Storm was crucial in ending the Homeland War, and Croatian defenders, led by the first Croatian president, Dr. Franjo Tuđman, liberated most of the occupied territory.
