"Jasenovac i Gradiška Stara" (transl. Jasenovac and Stara Gradiška) is a Croatian song promoting the Ustaše massacres in World War II.[1][2] The lyrics celebrate the World War II holocaust and genocide of Serbs in Herzegovina.[3] In 2003, Matija Babić, a journalist at Index.hr, criticized the Croatian band Thompson for performing the song, as well as Croatian Radiotelevision, Croatia Records and other media for continuing to cover Thompson as a mainstream artist.[3] In 2007, Efraim Zuroff, while reporting in the Jerusalem Post on a Thompson performance at Maksimir Stadium, said that Marko Perković, the lead vocalist, gained notoriety for having performed the song which was overtly fascist, and criticized Thompson concerts as an occasion for a display of extremist nationalists.[4]
Perković first acknowledged, then later denied performing the song[2][5][3] stating that "he is a musician, not a politician".[6] An organizer for a Thompson tour of New York City in 2007 defended Perković, claiming the musician did not write the song nor is a copy available on any of his albums.[7] According to the Anti Defamation League, "various media accounts report that Thompson's concerts in Europe begin with the traditional 'war cry' of the Ustashe. Concertgoers, mostly young people, many wearing black shirts with Ustashe insignia and carrying banners with anti-Serb, anti-Jewish and anti-Roma rhetoric, often respond with Nazi salutes. Ustashe paraphernalia is allegedly sold at the concerts, as well."[8]
References
- ^ Gorin, Julia (23 June 2007). "Nazis Rock on in Croatia". Retrieved 1 March 2009.
- ^ a b Barković, Neven (24 July 2018). "Thompson je davno priznao da je pjevao pjesmu o klanju Srba". Index.hr.
- ^ a b c Matija Babić (18 December 2003). "Thompson - domoljub ili fašist? Konačan odgovor je..." (in Croatian). Index.hr. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ Zuroff, Efraim (25 June 2007). "Ustasa rock n' roll". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "PROUSTAŠKA KUKAVICA Tompson bezočno laže da nikada nije pevao o KLANJU SRBA i veličanju Jasenovca". Blic.rs. 17 May 2017.
- ^ "Backgrounder: Marko Perković and Thompson". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 22 October 2008.
- ^ Lando, Michal (27 October 2007). "Croatian singer's alleged Nazi sympathies strike a sour note". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
- ^ "Backgrounder: Marko Perkovic and Thompson". ADL.org. Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 29 October 2008.