The announcement of Jelena Karleuša's concert at the Hacienda club on the Feast of the Assumption has sparked a storm of reactions due to her previous statements about Croatia, the Croatian language, and the Homeland War.
The announcement of Serbian singer Jelena Karleuša's concert at Vodice's Hacienda club, scheduled for August 15, has stirred up a major controversy on Croatia's political scene and social media. The performance date, which falls on the Feast of the Assumption, has further fueled existing controversies surrounding her frequent provocative remarks about Croatia.
Among the first to react was Split politician and former deputy mayor Bojan Ivošević. On social media, he shared the concert poster and a screenshot of Karleuša's post on platform X, which read: "Why shouldn't we, like Albanians who are creating a Greater Albania, want a GREATER SERBIA?" He also attached a map showing the 39-kilometer distance between Benkovac and Vodice.
In his post, Ivošević drew a parallel with recent attempts to ban the anti-war festival in Benkovac, sharply criticizing the selective actions of right-wing associations. "When it was time to ban the anti-war festival in Benkovac, the 'heroes' quickly gathered, but when it comes to protesting 39 kilometers away against a crew that's turning serious money in the hospitality industry and, along the way, hires a Serbian singer who, besides calling for a Greater Serbia, denies the existence of the Croatian language (calling it a Croatian dialect of Serbian) and claims that every Croatian's grandfather killed Serbs, then the 'heroes' are silent and smaller than a poppy seed," he wrote.
The politician also expressed surprise that Karleuša, with such views, is even allowed to work in Croatia. "It is certainly a disgrace that such a bad person, after so much expressed hatred towards Croatia, can even get a work permit and perform here. Remember this for future times when the 'heroes' again discover a festival that doesn't suit their taste and start banning it," he concluded.
Public reactions are based on a long series of Karleuša's statements that are considered offensive and unacceptable in Croatia. In May 2024, she made a heavily collectivizing claim: "Every Croatian's grandfather killed Serbs." In early 2025, in February, commenting on protests in Serbia, she said she heard "the Croatian dialect of the Serbian language," directly challenging the independence of the Croatian language.
Before the anniversary of Operation Storm in 2024, she criticized Croatian singers performing in Knin, and in August 2025, she further escalated her rhetoric by equating Operation Storm with Srebrenica: "There can't be Srebrenica without Storm. There must be no selective memory for crimes." After her concert on Barbarinac was canceled in July 2023, she described that decision as "primitivism, racism, chauvinism, fascism, cretinism, and idiocy."
The debate started on Reddit and quickly spread. Users particularly highlighted the date as problematic: "And on the Assumption of Mary" and "I'm sure the organizers don't even know it's a holiday then." Others were even harsher, wondering if it was a mockery and whether any minister would react.
Commenters also called for a boycott of the club: "I hope sensible people will really boycott Hacienda." The question of the legal possibility of banning the singer's entry also arose, with one user clarifying that "the competent authorities must establish a threat to public order or security; political statements can be an element, but not a standalone reason."
Part of the discussion touched on the phenomenon of audiences that simultaneously follow patriotic performers and regional stars. "Most people first go to Thompson, and later to JK," one user wrote. Some believe the entire announcement might be a deliberate provocation, suggesting that "this concert isn't even planned to take place" and that Karleuša could become an "icon" if she were banned from entering. So far, there are no indications that the concert has been canceled or that institutions have initiated any proceedings.
