Zagreb, 7 July 2025 (Hina/MIA) -- International news agencies have reported on Marko Perković Thompson’s concert held Saturday night at Zagreb's Hippodrome, describing him as a singer who pushes Ustasha ideology and who, according to organizers, drew a crowd of over half a million people.

 

The Associated Press described Thompson as a "right-wing singer notorious for his perceived sympathy for Croatia's World War II pro-Nazi puppet regime."

 

It said that, during "the biggest concert in Croatian history", Thompson called on Europe to "return to its tradition and Christian roots."

 

Reuters wrote that “Thompson, who has had concerts banned in several European countries including the Netherlands, Switzerland and Bosnia, is accused by critics of flirting with the ideology and iconography of Croatia's Nazi-backed World War Two Ustashe government."

 

The singer, who takes his nickname from the US submachine gun and who rose to popularity in the 1990s during and after the war that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia, rejects accusations that his songs glorify the Nazi-backed state.

 

Several media outlets also reported on Ustasha salutes being used at the concert. AP noted that "some of Perković's songs include the Ustasha salute, punishable by law in Croatia, and other references to the pro-Nazi regime."

 

Serbia's news agency Tanjug reported that Thompson "held a concert at the Hippodrome in Zagreb last night, attended by over half a million people, where in addition to the songs, the chant 'For the Homeland - Ready!' was also heard."

 

Tanjug also said that police had detained 123 people during the day, mostly for possession of pyrotechnic devices, and that medical teams had carried out 245 interventions.

 

Slovenia's STA news agency reported that, according to the organizers, "504,000 people gathered in Zagreb on Saturday night for a concert by the controversial singer Marko Perković Thompson," and that no major incidents were recorded.

 

STA noted that Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković attended Thompson's dress rehearsal Thursday with his children, and that Slovenian politicians were also present at the concert, including opposition SDS leader Janez Janša with his wife Urška Bačovnik Janša, and SDS MP Branko Grims.

 

STA added that concertgoers often attend Thompson's performances dressed in black clothing bearing Ustasha symbols, and noted that the singer has been banned from performing in Slovenia since 2017.

 

Reuters recalled that, under the Ustasha regime, Jews, Serbs and Roma were systematically persecuted and murdered between 1941 and 1945. It added that Thompson has repeatedly said his songs represent “a love for God, family, homeland and people," a view shared by many of his fans.

 

One attendee, Josip Gelenger, told Reuters ahead of the concert: "I expect it to be good, great fun, lots of people and an unforgettable experience."

 

A fan identified only as Ivica from eastern Croatia told AP: "Thompson is a patriot. He does not insult anyone, he loves everybody."

 

AP also carried a post by former Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, who criticized the concert on X saying that "the state and the city have been put in service of one man."

 

"Thrill and excitement as fans at downtown Zagreb already sing songs from the era of the criminal state. No media are reporting about that,” Kosor wrote.

 

Ticket sales break world record

 

Around 450,000 tickets were sold for the concert, according to data from the headquarters, thereby breaking a world record. Organizers claim that 504,000 people were in attendance.

 

With the lyrics of the song "Ustani iz sjene" from his latest album, accompanied by a light show and fireworks, Thompson began what he described as a "musical and patriotic spectacle" at around 9 pm, to the cheers of several hundred thousand people. The concert lasted for three hours.

 

"I want to send a message to all of Europe to return to its traditions, to its Christian roots, only then can Croatia be strong once again," the singer told the crowd at the beginning, thanking them for coming in such great numbers to "show unity."

 

Among the 30 songs he performed, Thompson also sang "Bojna Čavoglave", a song composed during the 1991-1995 Homeland War, becoming a popular wartime song. Marko Perković joined the Croatian defending forces as a volunteer in 1991, and as an amateur musician, he composed the song together with his comrades, while they were defending the Dalmatian hinterland, including the village of Čavoglave against the occupying forces: Yugoslav People's Army JNA and Serb paramilitary and rebel troops.

 

A part of the public finds the lyrics provoking due to the salute "Za dom", to which the crowd loudly responded with "spremni", the phrase that opens the song. This salute, which means "For the homeland – ready" in English, was used by HOS defence units and some veterans during the Homeland War, but it originated in the 1941-1945 Independent State of Croatia, a Fascist regime, during the Second World War.

 

Thompson has repeatedly defended the song, stating that "it is a song from the Homeland War, and for me and my fellow veterans, it is in no way controversial." He has described it as a "testimony to the time when the Croatian state was being created." According to Thompson, "anyone who is against this song is against the truth of the Homeland War." In one interview, he also said that through his music, he seeks to tell "a Croatian story filled with love for God, family, and the homeland."

 

In 2020, Croatia’s High Misdemeanour Court ruled that the chant "Za dom spremni" ("For the homeland – ready") at the beginning of the song is not a violation of public order and peace, as long as it is performed by the author within the original version of the song.

 

Due to his perceived flirtation with Ustasha ideology, the Croatian music star has been banned from performing in several European countries. Authorities in nations such as Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands have cancelled or denied his concerts, citing concerns over the promotion of fascist symbolism and hate speech.

 

Serbia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday advised Serbian nationals not to travel to Zagreb due to the concert by Thompson. "Citizens of the Republic of Serbia are advised not to travel to Zagreb until July 6 due to the concert by Marko Perković Thompson, scheduled for July 5 at the Zagreb Hippodrome," the ministry announced on its website.

 

The entire day passed without major incidents or problems, and the slogan "Za dom spremni" was chanted even before the concert began. The police were present and monitoring the situation, but did not intervene on the spot.

 

"We are guided by the principle of proportionality in our actions, and we must take care not to provoke a larger group of people. However, we have been recording the public gathering throughout the day and will analyse the footage afterward and file misdemeanor charges accordingly," the police stated.

 

Interior Minister: Concert a historic event

 

Interior Minister Davor Božinović said Saturday an exceptionally large crowd had gathered at the concert at the Zagreb Hippodrome, describing the event as historic.

 

"What we are witnessing is clearly a historic event at the Zagreb Hippodrome, with an exceptionally large number of people attending Marko Perković Thompson's concert – likely the biggest in Croatia's history. Depending on ticket sales, it could even be declared the largest concert in the world," Božinović said at the headquarters of the police task force in charge of concert security.

 

Božinović also said the police would prosecute individual cases of singing inappropriate songs and displaying Ustasha iconography at Thompson's concert, adding these were isolated incidents and that he could not believe anyone could label 500,000 citizens as extremists.

 

Speaking to Croatian Television, when asked about the statements from the Social Democratic Party and We Can! condemning the concert, Božinović accused them of labelling half a million Croatian citizens.

 

“I truly don’t understand these people who woke up this morning and decided to label half a million Croatian citizens. What is that? You had a spectacle where people showed how much it meant to them. Croatian citizens have values they care about, and in a free society, they had the opportunity to enjoy them through the organization of this concert. If someone has a different opinion or musical taste, let them organize their own event, and Croatian institutions will oversee it within their remit.”

 

“But to label half a million people as a global disgrace, people who were celebrating, many of them young, even children... I really don’t know where those people live,” he concluded.

 

Fans arrive from all parts of Croatia as well as from abroad

 

From early Saturday morning, streams of people, from all parts of Croatia, as well as from abroad, poured through the streets of Zagreb.

 

Hundreds of thousands, draped in Croatian flags and dressed in black shirts or jerseys adorned with the recognizable red-and-white checkerboard pattern, flooded the city.

 

The concert’s guest was Catholic Bishop Ante Ivas, who recited the prayer Maranatha. A drone show also took place in the sky, thousands of drones formed images of the Virgin Mary, angels, crosses and the Croatian flag.