Bleiburg: 68th anniversary of communist massacres
Photo: Tomislav Miletic/Pixsell
Even if, after thoroughly studying the victims of the Holocaust (some 11 million, 6 million of which were Jews) and the victims of WWII and post-WWII communist crimes (some 100 million), one concludes that the Nazis and their collaborators were worse criminals than the Communists, that still does not justify the massive size and inhumanity of the difference between the enormous attention paid to the crimes of the former and the appalling neglect of the latter.
During the weekend that has just passed Croatia has been confronted with the utterly ugly face of government and politically ideological discrimination against victims of horrible communist crimes. The feeling one could pick-up on the streets is that Croatia is at volatile crossroads where there seem to be only two possible outcomes: an oppressive and socially insensitive political system (akin the one that was under communist Yugoslavia) will entrench itself further into the corridors of power – and therefore society, or that those who hold the rights of all victims above all else (including political scoring) will rebel ferociously against the government that evidently has little if any empathy with Croatian suffering; be it suffering from WWII pro-Nazi collaborators or suffering from Communists and their collaborators.
Croatia’s Prime Minister, Zoran Milanovic, said on Saturday 11 May that he was not going to attend any of the two commemorations – one marking the 68th Anniversary of victims of WWII and post-WWII Bleiburg massacres by Croatian/Yugoslav communist Partisans, and the other marking Jasenovac camp extermination by pro-Nazi Croatian Ustashe forces) because “the competition between the two spreads intolerance…”
For the Croatian Prime Minister, therefore, paying respects to the victims of WWII is an act of intolerance … spreading hatred (?)!
Absolutely unforgivable!
A commemoration marking the 68th anniversary of the mass murders of soldiers of the 1941-45 Independent State of Croatia (NDH) and civilians by communist Partisans was held at Bleiburg field in Austria on Saturday 11 May. Some 10,000 people from all over the world gathered and remembered. Croatian government sent no one; Croatian President Ivo Josipovic did not attend nor did he send representatives. The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ),main party in opposition, representative, Virovitica-Podravina County Prefect Tomislav Tolusic of said that “the ideological descendants of the criminals who committed these crimes in the aftermath of World War II are today still trying to rewrite history“.
“Ideological scions of those same criminals responsible for Bleiburg and the death marches are again trying to conceal their crimes, downplay them, and push them into oblivion as well as to smear the victims. The members of that same batch do the same not only with Bleiburg but also with the Homeland Defence War,” Tolusic said.
Jasenovac: 68th anniversary of breakout of inmates of
concentration camp Photo: Nikola Culuk/Pixsell
On Sunday 12 May in Jasenovac, a commemoration was held to mark the 68th anniversary of the breakout of inmates from the Jasenovac concentration camp, which had been run by the Nazi-style Ustasha regime from 1941 to 1945. The commemoration called for permanent remembrance of the victims so that similar crimes would never again recur.
Croatia’s President Ivo Jospipovic attended the Jasenovac commemoration. During his speech President Josipovic called for thwarting any attempt to revive the ideology of the Holocaust and ideologies directed against other people only because they are of different ethnic or religious background.
“We must not forget the experiences from Jasenovac, the Holocaust and the Ustasha ideology (of the 1941-1945 pro-Nazi Independent State of Croatia, NDH) and we must not forget that the members of the Croatian people participated in them”, Josipovic said, recalling that according to the statistics of the camp, 83,301 victims were killed in the camp complex in Jasenovac, and the victims were Serbs, Jews, Roma, Bosniaks as well as Croats whom the then regime deemed to be enemies to the Ustasha ideology.
President Josipovic also said that the Croatians “can be proud of their anti-Fascist movement the victory over Nazism and of those of them who stood against crimes“. That victory (in WW II) and our victory in the (1991-1995) Homeland Defence War are the foundations of the present-day Croatian state that is about to join the European Union as a full member, Josipovic emphasised.
Well, if the truth was like Josipovic said then that truth is only half-baked. The truth is that the anti-Fascist WWII victory came with even worse crimes committed by them than what Ustashe/pro-Nazi crimes stand for.
The truth is that anti-Fascists hide their ugly crimes by emphasizing the crimes of Ustashe.
The truth is that anti-Fascists glorify the horrid of atrocities committed by them during and after WWII!
Who wants to be proud of such a history where one criminal blames the other, and victims of one receive no justice while the victims of the other get it all?
And all fail to speak of the multitudes of Croats who wanted nothing to do with one criminal or the other!
Indeed there is competition between the two, as Prime Minister said, and its competitors are former communists (including the Prime Minister), their descendants, and today’s anti-Fascists in Croatia. The competition is all about forcing and preserving a notion of some righteousness of WWII and post-WWII communists. Well, when it comes to victims of cold-blooded murder of those who did not agree with the communists – there is no righteousness, no excuses, and no justification.
It’s a well-known fact that Communist crimes and atrocities have not received their full due anywhere in the world, so too not in Croatia. As well as in the rest of the world, in Croatia (former Yugoslavia), victims of communism outnumber even those of the Nazis (of Ustashe in Croatia). Part of the reason is that the communists, unlike the Nazis, were, due to strong post WWII political lobby and perpetually publicised Nuremberg Nazi trials, perceived as having noble motives. And, the Croatian government and the President still promote that terrible notion and battle hard to sustain such an increasingly unsustainable perception and reality.
Thankfully, the world has grown up, matured – turning in disgust and revolt against any attempts to justify murder for political gain. And communists murdered multitudes that stood against communism.
For Croatia, 1945 marked the imposition of Communist rule and return to Yugoslavia. Shielded by their fight against Nazi Germany, Communists used WWII to get rid of domestic political competition as well. Tens of thousands fell victim to Communist crimes after WWII. After liberating Croatia from Nazis and establishing the new state of Yugoslavia, Communists went after the anti-Communist Croatian army units who had retreated to Austria (Bleiburg) and surrendered to British troops. Britain, however, turned 340.000 soldiers and civilian refugees over to Yugoslav authorities who, according to different estimates, murdered up to 200,000 of them. Terror continued after Communists had secured power and by 1953, some 116,000 people had been repressed, including 26,947 killed. Although the terror later subdued, Croatia had tens of thousands political prisoners during 1948–88.
To this date over 850 mass graves of victims of WWII and post-WWII communist crimes have been discovered in Croatia alone; the search for new ones still continues.
Many hundreds of thousands (if we take the second and third generations into account) of Croatian victims of communism are still alive today and many of them are strewn all over the world. They include those that survived Bleiburg and the Croatian Way of the Cross that followed after WWII – those hunted down by anti-Fascists or communists after being forced to return to Yugoslavia … and their descendants, many thousands of dissidents subjected to political oppression, several hundreds of thousands murdered after WWII or thrown alive into pits, hundreds of thousands who had no choice but to emigrate from communist Yugoslavia because not being pro-Communism also meant unsustainable existence…dozens upon dozens assassinated abroad by Yugoslav Secret Police UDBA… and all their descendants who, as human beings, deserve recognition of their suffering and justice; the perpetrators must be held responsible whether dead or alive.
People may say that the perpetrators are mostly dead by now. Yes that is the case, but there is also the concept and the possibility to deal with criminals posthumously.
The political leadership, which places political interests above human rights, above justice for all the victims, simply cannot be allowed to thrive. Croatian government and the President of Croatia have demonstrated that they cannot lead the Croatian nation into a fully democratic society because their anti-Fascist political baggage interferes severely with humanity; discriminates between victims according to which political alignment the perpetrators belonged.
It is only natural that victims of communist crimes must have and deserve justice and if the current governing lot in Croatia is to continue in such wicked ways, denying this justice, then not only won’t all the victims receive justice, but there will be no natural justice (a pinnacle of democracy) in Croatia; unless, of course, the victims and victims’ descendants revolt and achieve that justice.
And I, a recipient of Two medals of honour for my contribution to the Croatian Homeland War victory (and I believe neither Zoran Milanovic nor Ivo Josipovic have one; both stood at sidelines guarding the communist league), personally stand here and testify:
Croatia’s President Ivo Josipovic is telling a scandalous lie when he says that anti-Fascist movement stands behind the victory of Croatian Homeland War! What about the majority that fought to defend and create the independent Croatia who had nothing to do with communism or anti-Fascism? What about the Croatian diaspora that overwhelmingly fought and helped create the independent Croatia, that had nothing to do with communism or anti-Fascism? What stood behind the victory in 1990’s Homeland War was an unconditional love for Croatia, an absolute will and determination to abandon communism (anti-Fascism), to develop democracy (which, by the way, was and is not a movement that belongs to anti-Fascism), to reconcile the past by bringing justice for all victims, including the victims of communist crimes, not just a continued acknowledgment and condemnation of Holocaust crimes.
Vast majority of these qualities were never, nor are they now, attributes of anti-Fascism.
My patience is running out; my bon ton is wearing thin, and the thought springs to mind: Zoran Milanovic and Ivo Josipovic stop regurgitating the anti-Fascist bullshit, stop insulting our intelligence and human compassion, and get on with the job of making Croatia a fair and a non-discriminatory society when it comes to victims! Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps. (Syd)
SOME RELATED POSTS ON THIS BLOG
ON COMMUNIST CRIMES:
Croatia: Catholic Church set on ending distressing injustice for victims of communist crimes
Croatia: government’s deafening silence for victims of totalitarian regimes
Fortunate are the countries spared from communism after WWII
Europe demands justice for victims of Communism – Croatia must follow
Croatia: Stjepan Mesic’s antifascist claptrap – insults the truth
Croatia: Government attempting to belittle WWII Communist Crimes
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“The truth is that anti-Fascists hide their ugly crimes by emphasizing the crimes of Ustashe”
Also a truth is that croatia nationalism hide the crimes of Ustashe regime emphasizing the crimes of communism.
“to different estimates, murdered up to 200,000 of them”
By contrast with Jasenovac, however, most impartial historians converged on much lower number of dead, suggesting that Bleiburg was by no means as significant as the largest death-camp in Yugoslavia. … Jasper Ridley attempts a more precise figure, although there is no way of knowing for sure. … Of these, he noted that the Allies agreed to surrender 23,000 to the Partisans between 24 and 29 May – a mixture of Slovenians, Serbians, and Croatians. Reports from the time according to Ridley, indicate that not all the 23,000 were killed (According to D. B. MacDonald)
“For Croatia, 1945 marked the imposition of Communist rule and return to Yugoslavia. Shielded by their fight against Nazi Germany, Communists used WWII to get rid of domestic political competition as well. Tens of thousands fell victim to Communist crimes after WWII”
Just a question. If Tito and his contributors “impossed” Communism in Croatia soil and by that time Tudjman was a partisan, that means that Tudjman was a contributor of the weight of Communism in Croatia?
Actually you are goint to edite and delete part of this message or all of them like you did when I quoted part of the speech of Tudjman in Knin in 1995 or when I expressed my opinion agains nationalism. However, I had to write this and denounce that when you speak about History you don´t construct a speech but you create a pamphlet, with the truth of course, but a pamphlet.
I suggest Speaker you look up the meaning of the word hiding. The crimes of Ustashe are certainly not hidden anywhere, much has been said and criminal court cases have ensued in the past, some of course real and some with trumped up charges. However there has not even been an iota of serious turning toward communist crimes in Croatia when it comes to pursuing justice for its victims, there has only been “justification” attempts led by Stjepan Mesic etc. So there is a huge difference between hiding and denying to demanding justice for victims and the latter is what we are talking about. When you speak of numbers killed by Communists (from your sources) somehow they don’t match when you consider the mass graves uncovered, some of which had the remains of 15 to 30,000 – many had remains of dozens. Regarding your suggestion that all communists are to blame or may be blamed as contributors to Communist crimes (including Tudjman), or held responsible I suggest that your comment is malicious because nothing on this Blog suggests that. Tudjman was a member of communist party and a partisan and here is what he says about Tito’s responsibility for communist crimes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDlSJixGzh4
If I edit or delete your or anybody’s comments it’s because they do not conform to comment policy or may be off the topic from the post. Pamphlets are great as long as they reflect the truth but I do not think there is anything nationalistic about demanding justice for all victims, you obviously do so perhaps you might want to create your own blog or portal and go for it, I refuse to accept that nationalism has anything to do with justice for the victims because all victims to me are the same regardless of race or nationality.
What a nut you are Speaker! Since when has demanding justice for ALL victims become a negative nationalistic pursuit? Ah, sorry, I forgot, that’s what anti-Fascists say.
Sjećanje na žrtve je čin pravednosti. Jednako tako, ne možemo biti uspješno i pravedno društvo, ako ne prihvatimo povijesnu poruku da mržnja nikada ne smije biti isprika za novu mržnju, da zločin ne smije biti povod i ne smije biti isprika za drugi zločin – rekao je predsjednik RH. U potpunosti se slažemo, ali nismo primjetili da je Predsjednik Republike Ivo Josipović uručio živućim sudionicima križnog puta, bilo kojoj majci ili djetetu preživjelom, ikakva odlikovanja a ponajmanje odlikovanje Reda Stjepana Radića. Ponovit ćemo zato, sjećanje na žrtve je čin pravednosti. Ne dijelite već ujedinite našu mladost za bolju Hrvatsku budućnost.
Translation of comment by CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY: Remembering victims is an act of justice. Equally, we cannot be a just society if we don’t accept the historical message that hatred must never be an excuse for new hatred, that crime must not be the reason or excuse for another crime – the President of Croatia said. We completely agree, but we haven’t noticed that President Ivo Josipovic has handed to the living participants (victims) in the Way of the Cross, to any mother or child who has survived, any medal of honour and especially not the Order of Stjepan Radic medal (as he did in Jasenovac). We will repeat, therefore, remembering the victims is an act of justice. Do not divide but unite our youth for a better Croatian future.
I wish people would get over this stupid idea that recognising and condemning the crimes of communism is going to create “competition” between that and the crimes of fascism and thus diminish the importance of condemning fascist crimes. That’s absolute crap! Recognising and condemning BOTH evil, anti-human ideologies will help in reconciling, bringing out truth and justice and healing old wounds. How are people to move on when they’re continually forced to listen to this boasting about “anti-fascists” and their wonderful achievements when for decades, they’ve been forced to keep silent on their own suffering by this same “anti-fascist” regime? How are people to move on when their voices are silenced and their outcries ridiculed? Let’s not forget that communism was allowed to go on for decades with the pretence that everything was just peachy, when in reality people left their homeland in hordes in search of a better life. Many of those who stayed behind stayed in poverty and a state running on borrowed money, nepotism, corruption, while feeding people the idea that “their way” was the right way and that sure, the government can give you anything for free and no, that won’t harm the economy at all. And look where that got us.
How DARE Josipovic tie in the anti-fascist WWII movement to the victorious army of the Homeland war! How can one person hold such illogical, disgusting and malignant views? More worryingly, how can decent, sane Croatians tolerate the verbal diarrhoea coming from the mouths of Josipovic, Milanovic, et al any longer?
It is about time that the Croatian community in Australia write to The Hon. Julia Gillard and The Hon. David Cameron to apologise to the Croatian nation for Bleiburg. Only then we could seek the support from the European Council for Foreign Affairs.
RESPECTED FRIEND AND BEAUTIFUL GIRL
God has not created for hate but FOR LIFE
If I am a Christian and a believer then in the name of Jesus Christ, I forgive you, because I’m going to ask for forgiveness for my sins, if I did not forgive? Interpreting the image of bread Jesus is, in fact, said that he sent to sacrifice his own life and that whoever wants to imitate – and deeply personal – must participate in his sacrifice of love. “Therefore, Jesus at the Last Supper to determine the sacrament of the Eucharist to his disciples in itself could have his love – and this is crucial – that, as a body united with him in the world, continued his mystery of salvation.” It is clear that people, when they heard this his speech, realize that Jesus is not the Messiah kind of expected and kind of have wished, so they left it. Not in fact want to earthly throne, did not seek approval to conquer Jerusalem. Indeed, in the Holy City he wanted to go just to share the fate of the prophet, that is to give your life to God and to people. “They bread which he broke for the thousands of people did not want to cause a triumphal march, but foreshadow the sacrifice of the cross, where Jesus becomes the bread, and the Body and Blood ordained as a propitiation. Jesus then gave this speech to a multitude of opened my eyes, and above all to trigger a decision in their students. For many of them from the moment that it will not follow, “said the Pope concluded:” Dear brothers and sisters, let us and we marveled again the words of Christ: he, a grain of wheat thrown at the edges of history, the first fruits of a new humanity, liberated decay of sin and death. I rediscover the beauty of the sacrament of the Eucharist, which expresses all the humility and holiness of God, becoming his small, God made negligible, part of the universe, that all peace in his love. The Virgin Mary, who gave the world the Bread of Life, let us learn to live always in deep communion with him. “Miraculous multiplication of bread shows that fulfilled the promise that God in Jesus Christ became a man, explained the Pope, spoke eloquently. Evangelical me the message that God sent his son to people as “the bread of eternal life” after the Israelites in the desert filled “bread of the earth.” A lot of the disciples of Jesus, who were impressed by miracles, it disappointed his spiritual words and are therefore turned his back and left him. They were expecting a solemn entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and his proclamation king. But Jesus clearly said that in this world of sacrifice as “the bread of life.” “Let us know what we have managed this in their case, and they are just a drop in the sea, is an incentive not to give up in order to get the name of every victim, regardless of whether it is a racial or class or national enemies as victims to either at least it does not matter if it’s not already possible exhumation and funeral like this, then at least decently marked graveyard, a sign and a memorial. Only in this way we will stop creating myths and live in the myths that are always a potential danger that history repeats itself, in that its worst form, “the victims’ families do not need to express sympathy, they have long mourned over it, and his summary execution of brothers,” but we need them, and through them and all the other communities that are part of the family as the basic unit of society, try to find out what happened and why. This should be the approach in relation to all the other victims that we are finally able to stop sharing the Ustashe and Partisans, turn the page of history and taught the history of the move towards a better and shared future, without which for us, there can not be progress and the future these areas, but not in order to condemn them – is in most cases impossible, even useless to do – but because we encourage them primarily for themselves and their eternal salvation look truth in the eye and go through the conversion. “” In this thought, that the funeral rites to encourage criminals to conversion fits nicely images from the first reading today, which reminded us that we live “in the rebellious, who have eyes and not see, ears and not hear, because they are a rebellious house. ” This is evident in a systematic desire to reduce, but also distract victims and crimes that have occurred, and what is the best indicator that in the contemporary Croatian society very rare cases such as this it is possible to exhume and identify victims and bury them with dignity. I continue in this society in terms of casualties, particularly when it comes to the victims of the communist period, the government conspiracy of silence. So important are these moments that, like Ezekijelovo taking refugee bundles, digging the wall and going into exile, and a sign to those who are committed to what they have done, would not you realize that the ‘rebellious’ and went through the conversion, and not through exile from God and his salvation, where they lead their silence and inability to deal with what they have done so, and the team and reconciliation with God and neighbor. Without it we can not have a proper relationship or to our the dead, and even to live. This would be able to forgive … should mean that we finally stop with the exploration of who more hurt and anyone who needs a more forgiving, that, looking at the God who in his forgiveness no action, learn to forgive and ask for forgiveness. Finally, let us not forget it, it will not matter who’s anyone more obliged than anyone was willing to forgive you, “to which Jesus calls.
Sincerely
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Bravo Ina, you nailed it on the head – exactly what most think but few have yet the courage to say out loud: “”Zoran Milanovic and Ivo Josipovic stop regurgitating the anti-Fascist bullshit, stop insulting our intelligence and human compassion, and get on with the job of making Croatia a fair and a non-discriminatory society when it comes to victims!”
Courage will come to all to speak out for the good of all and not just the few who are behind this anti-Fascist spin.
The Croatian government has signed a pact with the EU and that it has not declared exclusive economic zone in the sea, land and air. Thus failing to protect its mineral wealth and strategic,
Dr. Ivo Josipovic “Professor Stalinism and Marxism” in the department of Moscow until in 1980. after which he kicked a chair and he was denied entry to Russia. All the ideas represented by the bankrupt, from communism, Marxism, Titoism, to the “civil rights.” Every day we are informed of all its “successful” business, success, tender, transparent procurement, which has worked in supervisory and management boards and shall inform the public. However, we will inform the public about equipping University, donations and spending taxpayers’ money the Croatian. The last 10 years, Dr. Ivo generously increased their revenue side, thanks vassal serving passionate people in power, criminals and world hoštaplerima, diligently doing their pritiv Croatian government and the Croatian people and the Croatian people, it gives a high monthly income in the same issue of the people, and not only him.
Sincerely
Ina you hit this right on the head again. Again we see how the British betrayed Croats in our history. Again my pain is increased because I know the communists killed my grandfather for being a fascist and the torture and rape my mother had to endure as a child. Someday I hope his grave is found and he can be buried properly. I will always be grateful to the Austrian goverment for their support of my mother when she was finally released from camp funk kaserne. It seems that the Austrian goverment has done more for Croats then any other country.Again I say I am not ashamed to be a called fascist or ustache for my ideology and beliefs in a Croatia First policy. I am Croat and will always love my motherland and it’s people. Again I am ashamed of our goverment for not speaking loudly and clearly for all the wrong done to Croats in our history. One day we will have people in office who will clear the record and make certain that our history is corrected but unfortunately it may take a little longer then we have hoped.We must continue to tell the truth as a people in order to prevail in our history…Za Dom Spremni!
Hear, hear, Michael Silovic
Absolutely awful! God help Croatians since their government won’t. It’s perverse not to acknowledge and respect victims. I am aware that it’s hard for anti-Fascists to accept communist crimes for what they were – crimes! If they accepted the truth than they could no longer point finger at Ustashe and the Nazis. But this is 21st Century and this century will not tolerate such pathetic idiocy.
Keep pounding Ina, perseverance always gets the job done. Don’t care if the left or the right politics are in government – all must deal with the issue of DUE PROCESS for victims of communist crimes. Tomislav Karamako of HDZ has disappointed greatly on this issue since he has become the leader of HDZ. Perhaps a sign that he was Stjepan Mesic’s boy all along? Made us believe that he had what it takes to tackle communist crimes. Shame …
Great entry Ina.
The reason SDP-SKJ and its satellite parties (HNS, IDS, HSLS and sadly, HSS) continually carp about WWII and regurgitate the discredited and statistically impossible Yugoslav Communist regime narrative is two-fold:
1. To cover up their lack of any coherent economic or foreign policy – short term or long-term – by continuously rehashing the Belgrade false dilemma over WWII (as if Croats, who voted 90% for HSS in Banovina Hrvatska before WWII, had a choice as to who to fight for when Chetniks were burning their villages even before the German invasion, during and after it, and Croats in the Italian zone of occupation and colonization were victims of the Italian fascist and Chetnik fascist genocide) to divide Croats and prevent them from saying what about a coherent economic or foreign policy plan that will bring both short and long-term bennefits to Croatia’s citizens;
2. To justify their and their ancestors’ 68 year state of (un)grace, namely, prostituting themselves to the foreign occupiers (Serbs) as quislings since 1945 as much of their ancestors (see the Pusic family collaboration with the Serbo-Communists, Ustashe, Gendarms and protofascist “Royal” dictatorship, and Austro-Hungarian regimes) did to the Germans, Austrians, and Hungarians – in the Istrian Duce Kajin’s case, his ancestor’s belonging to the Italian fascists and protofascist Serbian Gendarm colonists.
A point of order: Rankovic boasted in 1953 to the genocidal Austro-Hungarian locksmith, which Politika newspaper in Belgrade reported, that over 530,000 “enemies of the people” were liquidated from 1945 on.
Thanks Americro – important points.
I’ve never gone in for this “who did worse things than who?” rhetorical battle. I do accept that the victors write history and the vanquished are condemned to be the bad guys, in this case, probably forever. However, the absence of our government at both commemorative events sends both sides of the argument away from the front page. Those countries who fail to achieve that cannot move on. I would rather we follow the Ireland-Britain example than the Turkey-Armenia. Old conflicts will not be forgotten but if Germany and France can do it, so should we. As for the vanquished and their descendants (like me), leave it in the history books, you can’t put it right now.
Yes Pavao things can mend, however, nothing will put things right but due respect is important and without that nothing will be achieved because the need for justice for victims – even if it is bare acknowledgment and apology – will linger on and on. I believe that between Germany & France, between Ireland and Britain, Between Turkey and Armenia, etc etc the strongest link that binds the strong relationship is actually in the acknowledgment of wrong doing from the past by all sides. And that is what’s missing in Croatia – the anti-Fascists continue defending and justifying the indefensible and the unjustifiable and thereby sustaining the air of double standards that are only found in restless and unreconciled societies.
Communists mostly killed Ustashe and Chetniks, who deserved to be killed…
Sadly MrDuck there are a few people still who think like you and they are definitely former communists or anti-Fascists. Communists killed other people too who were neither Ustashe nor Chetniks, they killed civilians, children and the regular army Home Guards or Domobaran too – the ones who wanted to remain neutral i.e. not join the Ustashe or the Partisans, they also killed those who towards the end of the war joined Ustashes, they killed women and children, they killed those who after the war were against the communist regime. An eye for an eye belongs to the old testament, most democracies have gotten rid of death penalty, but not you or the anti-Fascists who think and talk such rubbish. Just imagine if all those asylum seekers that reach the shores of western countries like Britain, Australia, US etc were to be murdered because they sought asylum – that is essentially what happened to those murdered at Bleiburg and death marches and Britain helped the criminal Tito and his killers. You seem to think that all Ustashe and Chetniks murdered by the communists were murderers – no sir or madam, whichever you are, that is not true – and those that were have been either processed by the courts or died in the meantime. You Sir or Madam are pathetic, you should go back to the dark ages and just stay there while today’s world works out how to get justice for all victims.Hang your head in shame.
You MrDuck, have no clue but thank you for making it so much clearer that Communist crimes were truly grotesque. As you obviously are their supporter you need to know that the world does not tolerate people like you, nor does the justice. And the victims of any crime would continue suffering as long as there are individuals who think like you. I say also: Hang your head in shame!
Being that a grossly disproportionate number of Communists during and after the war were pre-war Croatian Peasant Party skull cracking Zandar colonialist settlers, pre-war Srpska Straza and Chetnik members, and wartime fascist Chetniks that collaborated with the Italians, Germans and even Ustashe, your dichotomy is at best disingenuous, in addition to genocidal.
Incidentally, applying your “logic,” the Ustasha regime had every right to kill every murderous Zandar colonialist settler as well as every Srpska Straza member and Chetnik, as well as their political, media, and on-the-ground village supporters, for crimes against the Croatian people and all non-Serbs before and during WWII, and or for at least actively or passively supporting them.
You can’t have it both ways, and you have to face the fact that Communism was, like Nazism and Fascism, anti-human and illegitimate, and above all, genocidal, and in the case of Tito’s Yugoslav Communism, it carried out the same cultural imperialism of the monahofascist totalitarian regime of the so-called “King,” the descendent of those murdering pig farmers, Aleksandar Karadjordjevic and his gay lover and secret police head Petar Zivkovic.
So spare us the Communist double-speak about “revolution” and “liberation” when Tito carried out the same cultural imperialism of the effete fascist Serbian “King” to try and wipe out Croatian culture, linguistics and national identity in the name of a supra-nationalist “Yugoslav” identity and fantasy state.
n 1941 Serbia president Declared Serbia to be the first Jew Free State in Europe..!!. They killed thousand of Jews people, many were sent on long trains from Serbia through Croatia and toward Germany. If jews were killed in Jesenovac they were killed by Marshal Tito in and around 1944 to 1945……as they fled toward Austria…Jesenovac is Marshal Tito’s bit cover up and a LIE…, that is why the Communist do not allow the gravesite to be opened up or any investigation on those grounds.. if they did, the world would know they lied.!!!!!..
Fascist and Communist is SAME IDEOLOGY. …so where is the achievement. Sorry but there were not that many Jews living in all of Croatia before WWII. The ones killed were either active communist or subsequent Victims of Marshal Tito killed after WWII ended. Jews lived in freedom Croatia since the 17th Century. It was not until WWII that many jews joined the COMMUNIST PARTY, and against their fellow Jews. Many Jews were betrayed by their own Jewish neighbors they were stripped of their wealth then killed along with other victims in five mass graves in Našice, Croatia all killed AFTER 1945 When Tito was in power…!
The official mainstream version of the so-called “Holocaust” is ,amongst other things,false on three key points:that there was a systematic program to exterminate Jews,that 6 million perished and that there were gas chambers.According to a “New York Times” article (Thursday April 21 2005)entitled “Israel sets Holocaust damages at $240 billion”,citing an official Israeli govt report,the article states:”At the beggining of 2004 1,092,000 Holocaust survivors were still living world wide,about half of them in Israel.About 10 percent of survivors die each year”,the report stated.One doesnt have to be a demographic expert to see that the still-claimed version of 6 million is total bunk.One million “survivors” literally half a century after events.The key to understanding the history of WW II in Yugoslavia is to finally realize that the Serb communist rulers of Serboslavia systematically falsified history for half a century.To this day “Croatian” mass media,in the hands of communist cadres shows photos of victims murdered by the communists during and particularily after WW II as victims of the Ustasa,for example.On the basis of irrefutable evidence,the communits from May to September1945,by conservative estimate,murdered at least 150 thousand members of the Croatian armed forces,POWs,and civilians.Mass killings of Croats continued up to 1951.Thus far no one has been called to account for these crimes and therehas been no political will to do so as the communists de facto have remained in power and are entrenched in every aspect of society.
Thank you your comment Davor. Indeed there lies the reason why today’s so-called antifascists are fighting hard to perpetuate false history, if they stopped they run the risk of being forced to answer for horrific crimes committed by their stock. But, we pray, they will be made to anser – justice is slow but when it comes it comes strongly.
All this talk about “Communist” Crimes” (Bleiburg), (“Krzni Put”) is utter nonsense & … DELETED…. Bleiburg & “Krzni Put” was revenge come full circle, it was nothing but an age old Serbo-Croat Blood Feud.
It was not in Tito’s interests to conduct any Croatian persecutions post WW2 as it would go against everything Tito believed in,ie, Brotherhood & Unity between Serb & Croat but please never mind me, please go on with your anti – Croatian Left wing hating & historical revisionism web site…Deleted …
Stipe – you said it: Revenge! Well revenge killing is a crime last time I checked. If historical revision means getting justice for victims then I am very proud to contribute. The book on Tito and communist crimes has not yet closed despite the indications that you may want it to.
Both sides committed crimes it’s a fact!
The lone fact remains there was only one party that was the resistance to the axis.
The Ustashi conceded Dalmatinca the the Italians, what were Croatians in this part of Croatian suppose to do?
Become Italian?
Or should they have resisted to preserve their culture?
Should these Croats be ashamed to be anti-fascist for their resistance?
As for the majority fighting in the 90s were from U stock, really??
I would imagine majority were from anti-fascist stock considering the U”s fled to abroad.
But I agree 100% with article.
Murder is murder regardless of sides.
Our history collectively is not a great one but the great things achieved by the resistance should not be forgotten nor should their crimes
There is no shame in being anti-fascist, Croatian hope, the shame comes into the equation when the so-called anti-fascists deny their crimes – which, by the way, are more likely than not bigger than the “U” WWII crimes if we are to count the bodies in some 800 mass graves discovered so far in Croatia. It seems to me that you consider majority who wanted independent Croatia in 1990’s and fought for it to be of “U” stock. How ridiculous and untrue that is. The “U” that fled abroad, or existed, were actually not that large in number when compared. The majority were neither “U” nor anti-fascist – just simply Croats wo wanted freedom. Emigration from Croatia is recorded in significant numbers from around early 1800’s. Emigration continued after the First World War, to a lesser degree, then increased again after the Second World War, when it was prompted by political reasons, whether the desire of Croatian members of the political forces defeated in the war to emigrate, fear of the Communist regime, or the relocation of ethnic groups due to border changes (Italians who opted to leave Istria, Rijeka and Zadar, and the forced exile of Germans from Slavonia). Politically motivated emigration continued in the post-war decades, while during the 1960s, many Croats went to work in Australia, Canada and Western European countries, particularly Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland and Sweden (they were known as Gastarbeiter, or guest workers). After the Croatian Spring and the repression that followed it in 1972, a new wave of political emigration occurred. Emigration has not halted, even since the establishment of the Croatian state. Émigrés today are mostly young, educated people, and emigration has taken on the characteristics of a ‘brain drain’. A particular, specific type of emigration occurred after the Homeland War, when the Serb population fled to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, mostly in 1995, after the liberation operation of the Croatian Army.