Skoro: Ex-President, PM and Parliament Speaker Launched "Middle-Finger Coalition"

ZAGREB, June 20, 2020 - Homeland Movement leader Miroslav Skoro on Saturday criticised former President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic for launching "a middle-finger coalition" against him, after his statement about raped women and abortion caused an outrage.

Skoro's statement, made during a recent election debate, that if a woman becomes pregnant after being raped, she should agree with her family what to do next, has triggered an avalanche of reactions and comments on social media, especially among women, who showed him their middle finger in protest. Grabar-Kitarovic joined them on Thursday by posting a photograph of herself with a raised middle finger in support of women.

Skoro was in the eastern city of Osijek on Saturday to present the election candidates of the Homeland Movement for Constituency 4. The party's list for this electoral unit is headed by his sister, Vesna Vucemilovic.

Skoro accused Grabar-Kitarovic, Plenkovic and Jandrokovic of ignoring the will of Croatian voters and referendum initiatives. He said that the ruling HDZ was in a coalition with the leftist faction of the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament which includes Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's people.

"That makes it clear why (Croatian Serb MP) Milorad Pupovac supports Plenkovic and why Plenkovic does not want to and cannot renounce him," Skoro said.

"The Homeland Movement advocates traditional Christian Democratic values, protection of life from conception, reforms, and a better life in Croatia. Young people are key to survival and it should be made possible for them to educate themselves, work and start their families here," he added.

Skoro said that his statements were "maliciously taken out of context" to raise a fuss, but that "all masks are off now."

The press conference was also addressed by Tado Juric, the party's expert in demography and youth issues, who said that the Slavonia region was "a demographically scorched country" as far more young people had emigrated than official figures indicated.

"Young people think that this country and this society has morally declined. It is high time we changed that. Unfortunately, right now we don't have patriotic elites to raise the issue of emigration to the EU level," Juric said.