Croatia Charges Right-Wingers for Pro-Priest Protest

Charges have been pressed against 13 people who rallied in front of a Catholic church in Sirobuja, a suburb of the coastal city of Split, flouting a ban on public gatherings during the coronavirus epidemic, Croatian media reported on Tuesday.

The rally on Sunday by the masked, black-clad protesters was held to support a priest who called on worshippers to attend mass, breaching measures imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Croatia.

Two of the protesters displayed World War II Ustasa movement's insignia and a banner with the slogan "Journalists are worms".

They were objecting to media reports earlier that day of criticism of priest Josip Delas for holding a mass with 20 worshippers despite appeals from the archdiocese and the coronavirus crisis authorities in Split to avoid gatherings.

Two of those charged will be prosecuted under the Public Order Act, the first for displaying a flag with the letter 'U' symbolising the Ustasa movement, and the second for holding up a banner with the slogan 'Za dom spremni' ('Ready for the Home(land)'), an Ustasa salute that remains popular in Croatian far-right circles.

Another of those charged will be prosecuted under the Explosive Substances Act for setting off a flare, while all 13 men will be reported to the State Inspectorate for violating measures imposed by the national civil protection authority as part of efforts to curb the coronavirus epidemic.

"An indictment will be filed against all of them," local media quoted Croatian police as saying on Tuesday.

A journalist from the local news website Dalmatinski Portal and a camerawomen from N1 television who tried to report on the mass on Sunday were physically attacked by several men at the church in Sirobuja.

Local media...