Zagreb, 8 May 2025 (Hina/MIA) — At a commemoration of Zagreb Liberation Day, May 8, and Victory Over Fascism Day, May 9, Croatia's President Zoran Milanović said Thursday that anti-fascists fought against a regime that was a "unique synthesis of evil" during World War II. He also pointed out that while "we speak of a glorious past, Europe is again rearming."

Speaking at the commemoration at Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb, organized by the Alliance of Anti-Fascist Fighters and Anti-Fascists of Croatia and the City of Zagreb, President Milanović said that World War II should be put in historical context to prevent its repetition.

"The war in this region was a social, economic, national and existential catastrophe for the groups that had formed here — a national catastrophe in terms of demographic losses and human suffering that must never be repeated," Milanović said.

He also reflected on Croatian-Serbian relations, stressing that during World War II, Croats and Serbs fought together, setting aside their religious, national and ethnic identities.

"The regime they fought against was a unique synthesis of evil in human society. To see things clearly, we must think more broadly, draw lessons from history and realise that some things are not entirely predetermined — some are the result of chance.

"Mass killings and deportations weren't inscribed in our culture or history, and yet they happened. I pay tribute to those brave people who, in 1941 and 1942, organized the uprising. They were people of courage that seems unimaginable today. Eternal glory to them," said Milanović.

He also commented on the current situation in Europe and defense investments.

"While we speak of a glorious past, Europe is rearming"

"Europe is going mad, waging war, rearming, and no responsible statesman can or should oppose their country arming itself for self-defense. Without it, there is no state. While we speak of a glorious past, initiatives are underway to spend five percent of GDP on armament and defense in the coming years," he said.

President Milanović said that the five percent GDP investment was a NATO initiative for the upcoming summit to be held in a month.

"The public must know this. This is not a military secret. This is a political fact; spending five percent of GDP on armament and defense," the president added, noting that Croatia was currently spending 1.4 billion US dollars on defense, while NATO's projection would raise that to five billion dollars.

"This means Europe will be packed with weapons. From whom, where and how will these weapons be purchased? What will we be able to acquire with that amount? These are matters for serious reflection, because this leads to irreversibility and ruin. That is not how we will build a happy Europe. There will be no peace or cooperation among nations — none of what Europe was founded for. Europe is, after all, a great and successful peace project, where liberal democracies — with all their flaws — work together and do not wage war," Milanović warned.

Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević pointed out that Zagreb was a heroic city, recalling the victims of the fight against fascism from 1941 to 1945 and stressing the importance of fighting against historical revisionism.

Franjo Habulin, president of the Alliance of Anti-Fascist Fighters and Anti-Fascists of Croatia, said: "We are the guardians of the truth and of the global traditions of the anti-fascist movement, and that is exactly what I want to convey on this magnificent occasion, when we commemorate the 80th anniversary of Zagreb's liberation and the victory over fascism. The aggressiveness of the opposing side cannot hide the fact that they are still just a minority." rml/mr