Hate speech common in Croatia: European monitor

By AFP

EU member Croatia must take greater action to protect minorities including LGBTQ people, Roma and ethnic Serbs from rampant hate speech and discrimination, the Council of Europe's anti-discrimination body said Monday.

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance said Zagreb had progressed since its 2018 report but warned increased efforts were needed to combat discrimination, including hate speech and "racial profiling by law enforcement".

"Groups most targeted by negative narratives are LGBTI persons, Roma and ethnic Serbs," it said in a new report.

LGBTQ people continue to face "prejudice and discrimination in everyday life," it said.

Hate speech was "commonly present" in politics, public spaces and online.

The report also said efforts to reduce hate-motivated violence were being hampered by a lack of trust in law enforcement alongside accounts of racial profiling, "targeting especially Roma, migrants and people of African descent".

The European Union member nation has seen a gradual liberalisation of gay rights in recent years and, in 2014, allowed same-sex couples to register as "life partners" with the same rights as their heterosexual peers.

But the country remains a largely conservative society, and gay people still face threats and abuse in Croatia -- similar to other Balkan nations.

A resurgence in the display of symbols and slogans relating to the country's pro-Nazi Ustasha World War II regime, including by young people, was also reported by the European monitor.

In recent years, Croatia has seen a growing tolerance for its pro-Nazi past, and critics accuse authorities of failing to sanction the use of Ustasha symbols.

Neo-Nazi singer Thompson, whose fans regularly chant fascist slogans, sold over 500,000 tickets in just a few days for his Zagreb performance slated for early July.

Although the Ustasha's so-called Independent State of Croatia was a Nazi puppet, their modern sympathisers see the regime's leaders as the nation's founding fathers.

The report also called for better teacher training on human rights, increased steps to desegregate Roma housing and improved access to healthcare, noting that Roma life expectancy was "significantly lower" than that of the general population.