Croatia probes why Hitler image, Holocaust jokes on sugar packets
Simon Wiesenthal Center expresses 'revulsion and disgust' that such items could be produced in country with past links to Nazism.
By ReutersSmall packets of sugar bearing the likeness of Adolf Hitler and carrying Holocaust jokes have been found in some cafes in Croatia, prompting an investigation, the office of the state prosecutor said on Monday.
"The local district attorney in [the eastern town of] Pozega has opened an investigation and is currently looking at the matter," said Martina Mihordin.
The Novi List daily newspaper reported that officials at a small factory in Pozega have confirmed the sugar packs were produced on their premises.
The incident may embarrass the government which has been keen to play down the country's past links with Nazism.
Croatia's Ustasha regime sided with the Nazis in World War Two and enforced ethnic laws under which thousands of Serbs, Jews and Gypsies, as well as anti-fascist Croats, were killed in local concentration camps in 1941-45.
The Jerusalem-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization, said in a statement it had protested the matter to Croatia's authorities.
Its director, Efraim Zuroff, expressed his "revulsion and disgust that such an item could be produced these days in a country in which the Holocaust not only took place, but was for the most part carried out by local Nazi collaborators".
"If nothing else, this is a disgusting expression of nostalgia for the Third Reich and a period during which Jews, Serbs and Gypsies were mass-murdered," it said.
Zuroff urged Croatia to force the factory owners to recall the sugar packets immediately, in line with a law against racial, religious or ethnic hatred.
Under President Franjo Tudjman, who governed Croatia from its 1991 independence until 1999, some of the Ustasha symbols were tolerated and their crimes often dismissed in public, which strained relations with Israel.
Subsequent Croatian leaders, who set the country on the road to European Union membership, apologized publicly for the Ustasha crimes.
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The Ustasa was croatian nationalist and fascist movement founded 1929.Thay sought to create an independent Croatian state(NDH) and killed Jews,Serbs and Roma,who were collectively declared enemies of the Croatian people.After WWII,the remaining Ustase went underground or fled to Australia and countries of South America,WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH(VATIKAN BANK).Ustase's emigration helped to realize an idea of ethnically clean Croatia(with the same simbols like NDH had).Today,in Croatia there are many people who want to revive Ustase's ideology,and it wouldn't nothing special they make a toilet paper with "sahovnica"-white and red cubes(national symbol on the flag)
That's true,Tudjman helped Croatians to got the country,but that country is soaked with Serb's blood and has all nazi simbols of NDH.He was a bloodthirsty like the most of his nation.
Not true Fred. Holocaust is studied in Croatian schools. Here is the number of Croatians killed in nazies concentration camps in Germany only. Auschwitz: 524 Dachau : 1288 Mathausen : 196 Story about the Croatian regime during the WW2 is not fabricated except the numbers of victims. For example, there are several very serious Jewish, Serbian and Croatian historians who published numbers of 50.000-80.000 vicitms of the Jasenovac concentration camp in Croatia between 1941-45. Still, in States you can find the number of 700.000-1mil in regular use. How come?
Please read this: Americans: Look What Happened At Jasenovac Concentration Camp http://www.arcticbeacon.com/20-Nov-2006.html There is also link to the video(has captioning on English) Http//:video.google.com/videoplay?docid=45066660114645651648&pr=goog-sl
They are in terrible taste, but so are many movies produced by Jews in Hollywood. What is the sugar company to be punished for? Offending the Holocaust industry? Upsetting the Weisenthal Center? Freedom includes tolerating the offensive. If every crackpot charge of antisemitism issuing out of the likes of the Weisenthal Center and the likes of the always offensive Abe Foxman were punished the world would be a better place. However, putting up with them is part of freedom. Ditto, the idiots at the sugar company. All opinions do not command respect, but they do deserve to be tolerated. It is the essence of liberty. Additionally, no government with Avigdor Lieberman as a member has the moral standing to comment on anything, even anything as insignificant as sugar packet. Hitler wannabes like the present government should be celebrating the vile packets. Their pictures could be next.
By reading previous comments I can see that you have very little or none informations about Croatia, but still you judge whole country based on one incident which has nothing to do with average opinion of croatian people. I don't know who printed those jokes, but I do know that guilty person will be found and punished according to the law. Most people in Croatia (every, that I know off) do not think nicely about nazi or about Hitler and I am very sad that these kind of incidents (which are very rare) make people badly misjudge us.
Hi was general of JNA (Yugoslav national army); He was, so, a wery high-ranking army officer; He was a member of KPJ (communist party of Yugoslavia); BUT: He was "ustasha"; So, however, he was fashist/nazi; Hi was someone who shot the bullits in his own army - JNA, and becouse of that fact - respected from the all "democratic" world; He was someone who was so succesfol in yusing all nazi simbols of NDH - Hitlers sattelite state; AND, as a "sweet table"... HE WAS SOMEBODY WHO CAME TO VISIT ISRAEL BUT NOT AS SOME TURIST... BAT AS PRESSIDENT OF COUNTRY THAT IS STILL NOW WERY PROUD OF NAZI PAST!? BUT AS PRESSIDENT OF CROATIA, THE COUNTRY THAT WAS FULLY RESPECTED DURING HIS WISIT TO ISRAEL??? About supporting Croatia in 1991. from American-Jewish commity, the lonely nazi-country that succesfuly sawe fasist FLAG... American-Jewish commity has to be - A SHAMED!!!
This recent event regarding the sugar packs does not reflect the sentiment of all Croatians. In every culture there are people who just like to cause trouble. The world is getting smaller everyday and we must learn to live together in peace. Finally, note that the Croatian flag did not originate in World War 2 and it is over 1000 years old. Peace.
7 republics of former Yugoslavia? In which planet?
Yeah, Only jews got killed in ww2. I'm sick of your hypocrisy. Why you never mention victims of other countries who fought versus nazism? Yeah, your victim is somehow greater then others. YOU MAKE ME SICK.
This "nostalgia" for the Third Reich is very close to the way people feel about the Confederates in the US.
It doesn't matter who the joke is about if it is funny. It doesn't matter if it's my family, your family, or Frank Sinatra's family that's burning in hell. All that matters is that their situation is comical. If the joke isn't funny then don't laugh. If it is then who cares what it's about? Regards, -Benjamin
1941-5 Jasenovac/Kroatia: 600.000 serbs & jews incident???
It's nice to see the country has not completely abolished facism. As distasteful as they may be, who cares if they say them? Just. Ignore. Them. I know its hard, but ignore them and don't give them the publicity they desire.
there were 6 republics of former yugoslavia. so much about the facts. won't go further.
Sad thing, but that realy is not something that happens regulary here. This is more like incident than regularity.
To Dushan: I have lived in several former Yugoslav republics including Serbia and Croatia so please do not delude us or yourself into believing that there was a greater contributor to the breakup of Yugoslavia than Serbia. Of the 7 republics that originally made up Yugoslavia, only Kosovo has yet to attain its independence. Serbian nationalism is the reason for the breakup, the reason why no other nation wanted anything to do with the Serbian capitol of Yugoslavia. Obviously if the story in the article is true, it is an ugly and shameful error on the part of the Croatians, but please lets stick to facts.
About Religion in Croatia: Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)
Who collaborated with nazis?
Croatia does not teach holocaust history in their public school system. It appears that old habits are hard to break, but at least the youth should have the opportunity to learn from the past. Most Croats to this day say it was a fabrication and they never commited genocide against Jews, Serbs, and Gypsies.
It is not surprising because Croatian WWII Ustasha's (fascist) ideas were reanimated in the beggining of nineties (last century). The whole world blamed Serbs for the break of former Yugoslavia and no one (including the Jewish politicians and historians) wanted to see the truth, which was completely vice versa. National symbols, coat of arms and flag of today's Croatia are the same as those from the Pavelc's German-Nazi sponsored "Independent" Croatia during the WWII.
It is really disgusting to seee that Croatia is still permitting such a display of antisemitism. The E.U. should immediately take this matter to the E.U. parliament and condemn Croatia with vigor. Israel should strongly protest and the responsibles seriously punished. Either with E.U. or out.
Would it be funny to tell a joke about you and your dear ones frying in hell? If you can laugh then it's funny.
Your remark is uncalled for, but with an identity like SS, maybe it's deliberate. There is nothing funny about the Holocaust. You should appologize to the Talkback for even making such a remark. Phuia!
Were the jokes at least funny?
HIM/HER/IT. Evidently Ahmadinejad has a twin in Croatia.