Nikola Subic Zrinski at the Battle of Sziget, Hungary, 1566 (Oil painting Oton Ivekovic)
A court in Knin has dismissed as unfounded a case in which a policeman claimed that businessman Jakov Marković was in breach of Article 37 Clause 2 of Public Gatherings Act 1999 for having exhibited and sold souvenirs with “Za Dom Spremni” written on them.
The Clause of the Act refers to breaches if a person who in a public gathering wears garments, parts of garments, clothes, badges or other signs with which he/she calls for or incites war or the use of violence, or national, racial or religious hatred or any other kind of intolerance.
The court found that the salutation “Za Dom Spremni” (For Home – Ready) has been known throughout the whole of the Croatian history, from the times of Nikola Subic Zrinski (1556 – 1566), and as such it does not signify any so called “Ustashe attribute” with which it is most likely burdened.
One expects an outcry in association with this court ruling not only in Croatia but in some “Western” media as well. Such outcry and opposition is likely to come only from those who do not objectively look at the whole history and its facts but have wanted and want to paint the whole of Croatian history as fascist. The Ustashas of WWII Croatia had adopted the salutation and it has thus been wickedly portrayed solely as a Nazi salutation. But not all Croatia was Ustashi run. The same stigma to Croatian history has throughout past two decades been put by some western media through the Croatian Currency “Kuna” and to the Croatian flag with red-white check-board, which also have roots in deep proud history, long before WWII.
Thank God someone in authority in Croatia (the court in Knin) has spoken in defence of the salutation and its true original and historical meaning: ready to defend our homeland against any oppressor, invader, enemy … “For Home – Ready to Die”.
This salutation was used in historical times including times of Nikola Subic Zrinski in battles against the Turks/Ottoman (1556 – 1566.) and hundreds of years later in times of Ban Josip Jelacic (1850’s) during times of Austrian Empire when Croatia wanted autonomy and harsh battles fought. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb), B.A.,M.A.Ps. (Syd)