ZAGREB, July 19, 2018 - The Jerusalem Office of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre issued a press statement on Wednesday condemning the participation of controversial pop singer Marko Perković ‘Thompson’ at the Croatian celebrations in Zagreb’s main square which gathered over 200,000 citizens. The Croatian football team made it to the finals in Russia, coming in second to France.
In a statement issued by its chief Nazi-hunter and director of Eastern European Affairs, Efraim Zuroff, the Centre noted that Thompson was notorious for singing songs which called for the murder of Serbs and related nostalgically to the notorious Croatian concentration camp Jasenovac.
Inviting Perković to sing at this mass celebration, at which no politicians or performers were scheduled to appear, gives his fascist views a legitimacy they do not deserve. “Marko Perković has never missed an opportunity to transmit his hateful messages. It is no accident that numerous people show up at his concerts wearing Ustasha uniforms and/or symbols and give Ustasha salutes,” Zuroff said.
“He should not be an honoured guest anywhere, let alone at one of the biggest gatherings in democratic Croatian history to celebrate a magnificent sporting achievement,“ Zuroff said adding that “Luka Modrić might indeed have deserved to be World Cup Most Valuable Player, but for inviting Thompson to sing he deserves a red card.”
