ZAGREB, June 11, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Monday sent his condolences to the family of Radoje Petković, the vice president of the Serb minority in Kastav, who succumbed to injuries he sustained in a brutal attack near Rijeka in April and the premier also condemned Sunday's incident involving attacks by hooligans in Supetar on the island of Brač.
After being brutally attacked in April outside a cafe bar in Viškovo, Petković has been in a coma over the past few weeks in Rijeka hospital.
"I harshly condemn this act of violence and intolerance directed toward members of national minorities, something we will continue to fight against with all available mechanisms that state institutions have at their disposal so that violence can be prevented, the perpetrators are punished and the public is made aware of zero tolerance for violence," Plenković said.
Unequivocally opposing all forms of violence and intolerance toward members of ethnic minorities the Croatian government condemns in the strongest terms the recent hooligan violence in Supetar on the island of Brač and wishes the victims of that hooliganism a speedy and full recovery, the premier said.
During a football tournament in Supetar on Sunday, several perpetrators attacked a few seasonal workers - three young men from Slavonia and a girl from Varaždin. The motive for the attack was national intolerance because someone from the group of attackers yelled, "Where are the Serbs?"
President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović on Monday condemned the violent incident that occurred on Sunday in Supetar on the island of Brač, saying that Croatia is a safe country with good people who shy away from individuals who harm the image of their country with their unacceptable behaviour.
"I condemn any type of violence including this case in Supetar on the island of Brač. That conduct is unacceptable. Croatia is a safe country of good people who shy away from individuals who with their behaviour harm the image of their country," the president tweeted on her account.
More news about the status of Serbs in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.
