LINTA: ATTACKS ON SERBS SHOW HATRED AND VIOLENCE ARE REWARDED IN CROATIA

BELGRADE, AUGUST 23 /SRNA/ - The latest cowardly attacks by Ustasha hordes on Serbs in Dubrovnik and Pag are among countless confirmations that Croatia is a country of hatred and violence towards Serbs and everything Serbian, President of the Association of Serbs from the Region Miodrag Linta said.

Reacting to last night's attack on two Serbs in the Lapad district of Dubrovnik, as well as a recent attack on two Serbian nationals on the island of Pag, Linta pointed out that the incidents were not isolated cases, but part of a social climate that had existed since Franjo Tuđman came to power and represented a pattern that was repeated year after year.

"This is not only physical violence, but also a repeatedly conveyed pro-fascist message that Serbs are not welcome in Croatia," Linta said in a statement issued by the Association of Serbs from the Region.

Linta said Croatian authorities did not condemn hate speech and violence against Serbs and that perpetrators were not prosecuted, stressing that Croatia was a country where aggression against Serbs paid off and hatred was rewarded.

He said an additional problem was that gatherings glorifying the Ustasha regime, which he described as genocidal, and war criminals were tolerated and even encouraged.

Two Serbian nationals were attacked in Dubrovnik the previous night, several hours after entering Croatia in a car with Zrenjanin license plates.

On the island of Pag on Tuesday, August 18, a group of young men attacked two Serbian nationals aged between 21 and 24, one of whom sought medical attention.