Catholic Church in Croatia

Jasenovac was one of the extermination camps set up and operated by the Ustasha regime of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a Second World War era Nazi-allied entity.

"First of all, it should be clearly stated that the gathering that is held is a church manifestation. It is not up to the government, the president of the province nor the provincial government to decide whether this gathering will be held," Kurz told reporters.

Speaking about Croatia's decision to prohibit Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin from entry, Vucic said that Vulin was banned "because of the statements he made."

"I wish, and I would like it if this is not the case - someone in the European Union is introducing verbal delict and deciding arbitrarily whether they like someone's opinion," said Vucic.

The greeting, which translates to, "for home ready" and is abbreviated to "ZDS", was used by the fascist Ustasha regime of the WW2-era Independent State of Croatia (NDH) - a Nazi allied entity that operated death camps for Serbs, Jews, and Roma, including Jasenovac.

The "Ustasha" reference concerns the WW2-era, Nazi allied Independent State of Croatia (NDH) - and the leader of the opposition SRS spoke to reporters a day after an incident in the Serbian National Assembly that prompted a visiting Croatian delegation to cut short their visit, and Zagreb to attempt to deliver a protest note to the Serbian ambassador to Croatia.

With this act Croatia again relativizes the horrific and genocidal crimes committed in the NDH during the Second World War, and it also sends the Serbs in Croatia more than a scary message. This is in direct contradiction with the foundations on which post-war Europe and international order were built.

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Ivica Dacic said on Friday Croatia's decision not to fully outlaw an Ustasha salute was another instance of relativisation of the crimes committed in the WWII-era Independent State of Croatia and a terrifying message to Serbs who remain in Croatia.

While television footages recently shot showed an incredible ignorance among young people in Croatia about what happened in Jasenovac during the bloody Ustasha regime, a debate broke out as to how many Croats know about this notorious death camp at all. If it is to judge by what TV reporters of several TV productions said, little or nothing.

Robert McCormick, chair of the Department of History, Political Science, Philosophy and American Studies at the University of South Carolina Upstate, recently published a book through I.B. Tauris & Co., Ltd. titled "Croatia Under Ante Pavelic: America, the Ustase and Croatian Genocide."

Vulin, Serbia's defense minister, also said that he was "not sure that Ustashism was making a return in Croatia - because Ustashism and Ustashas never left Croatia's politics and public life."

The Ustasha regime was in power in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a Nazi allied WW2 entity that operated death camps for Serbs, Jews, and Roma.