Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday sent a message to Croatian citizens on the occasion of Anti-Fascist Struggle Day, saying Croatian anti-fascists made a significant contribution to the defeat of ideologies that brought destruction, suffering and unprecedented crimes to Europe and the world.
He said the country marks 22 June in memory of the founding of the First Sisak Partisan Detachment in the Brezovica forest near Sisak in 1941. The event marked the beginning of organised resistance to fascism and Nazism in Croatia and became a symbol of the defence of freedom and human dignity, he noted.
Referring to key moments in Croatian history, Jandroković said the Constitution reflects the continuity of the statehood idea of the Croatian nation and includes the decisions of the Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Croatia (ZAVNOH) from 1943, which place the anti-fascist struggle among the foundations of the modern Croatian state.
He also referred to the constitutional reference to the rejection of the communist system, during which, he said, many crimes were committed against Croats. It is therefore important, he added, to make a clear distinction between the anti-fascist struggle in World War II and the post-war communist system.
He said attempts to downplay communist crimes by referring to anti-fascism harm those who genuinely rose against fascism and Nazism during WWII.
Croatia’s commitment to democracy and independence was confirmed in the 1990s Homeland War, he added. He also called for rejecting violence, intolerance and exclusion, and for promoting dialogue and respect in society.