The United Against Fascism initiative issued a statement on Wednesday calling on residents of Zagreb to come to the city's main square at 11am on Saturday to protest against an international conference of nationalist parties and a march organised by the right-wing Croatian Pure Party of Rights (HCSP).
The HCSP scheduled the conference for Friday and the march for Saturday, inviting similar parties from Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Austria, and Belgium.
"It is not just that these parties defend the fascists defeated in the Second World War, but even today they are involved in physical violence against all vulnerable groups. What is paradoxical about a nationalist conference in Croatia is that Hungarian nationalist groups lay territorial claims to a portion of Croatian territory," the initiative said.
It said that the anniversary of the Hague tribunal's verdict against Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac cannot be an excuse for "a fascist march through the centre of Zagreb," dismissing it as "a cheap spin".
Noting that the Declaration on Antifascism, adopted by the Croatian Parliament, remained just a dead letter, the initiative called on citizens of Zagreb and Croatia "to defend the antifascist legacy and once again say a clear and resounding 'no' to fascism."
