TORCIDA FAN CLUB PRESIDENT SURRENDERS

ZAGREB, OCTOBER 20 /SRNA/ – Ante Stipetić, president of the Torcida supporters' club of football club Hajduk Split, turned himself in to police today alongside Denis Šipić, who was wanted in connection with antisemitic chants and insults in Split.

Stipetić and Šipić reported to Bilice prison in Split, Croatian media reported.

Stipe Lekić, one of the best-known fans, and Leonardo Vučak, who were also being sought by police, reported to the prison on Sunday, October 18.

The Split County Court had previously ordered one month of pretrial detention for the men, citing the risk of flight and the possibility of reoffending.

Police filed reports against 23 people over an incident during a supporters' march on Thursday, October 15, ahead of Hajduk's football match against Ajax, on suspicion that they had publicly incited violence and hatred.

Participants in the march shouted "Crush the Jews", "Auschwitz" and "Rise up, Adolf". Chants about burning Jews were also sung, along with deeply offensive lyrics about Anne Frank, who died at the age of 15 in a Nazi concentration camp.

Police identified the suspects and released photographs of those they had been unable to locate. Warrants were issued for them, and some subsequently turned themselves in.

Croatian Interior Minister Davor Božinović said police were pursuing criminal cases against the suspects, not targeting supporters' groups or football clubs.

He also said he had no information suggesting that people with military experience were training fans in how to behave and move in groups.

"I have no such information, and neither do the police," Božinović said.

Homeland Movement leader Ivan Penava accused police and journalists of unnecessarily inflaming the case.

Milivoj Špika, president of the Pensioners Together Bloc, strongly condemned the Nazi and antisemitic outbursts by some Torcida members in Split and said he would seek to have Torcida removed from the register of associations if such problems were not addressed.

He singled out Penava, accusing him of defending the organizers of the controversial events.