The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has received complaints against Marko Perković Thompson over a concert in Široki Brijeg where the Croatian singer and members of the audience chanted the Ustasha salute, and some attendees raised their right arms in a gesture associated with fascism.
The State Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Hina that it had received the complaints, including video footage of the event.
“The case has been assigned to the acting prosecutor, and the public will be informed once a prosecutorial decision has been made,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a written response.
Under the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Thompson and his supporters could be charged with “inciting hatred, violence and intolerance” and with the “use of symbols of totalitarian regimes.” If convicted, they face fines or up to three years in prison.
The salute “Za dom spremni” (“For the homeland – ready”), which the singer chanted together with the audience at the beginning of the song “Bojna Čavoglave “ during last weekend’s concert in Široki Brijeg, sparked widespread condemnation. Video recordings from the concert show hundreds of young people raising their right arms in a salute linked to fascist symbolism.
Thompson’s team denied on social media that the singer promotes Nazism or fascism, stating that he merely performed the lyrics of the song “Bojna Čavoglave,” which he has been performing for 35 years and which was created “in the context of the Homeland War and the defense of Croatia.”
The team also argued that while Thompson’s music is being condemned, ideologies that in recent history have led to significant human casualties in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia are often overlooked.
