The local Sisak-Moslavina County police recorded six misdemeanours during a concert by controversial singer Marko Perkovic, a.k.a. Thompson, on Sunday in the central Croatian town of Glina, including four involving the display of banned symbols.

Police said they decided not to take any action regarding the right-wing salute “For the Homeland Ready” – a World War II salute used in the opening of one of his songs – considering that judicial practice, i.e. a court ruling for earlier this year, said that the salute does not incite hate, and that the lyrics of the song in which the salute is used is exactly as it was recorded on official audio recordings.

Four of the cases referred to carrying or displaying symbols that disturb public order, while the two other misdemeanours involved two obviously drunk men who had hurled insults at police officers.

Thompson held a concert in the town of Glina to mark the Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day marking the anniversary of the 1995 Operation Storm, the Croatian Veterans’ Day, and the day of the city. According to police estimates, about 50,000 people attended the concert while some media outlets have reported that there were as many as 80,000.

Thompson began the concert with his song “Bojna Cavoglave,” which starts with the salute “For the Homeland,” while the public responded “Ready,” but the police did not take any action citing judicial practice.

In May, the magistrate’s court in Slunj acquitted Perkovic of public disturbance charges during last year’s celebration of Operation Storm when, at a concert in Slunj, while singing “Bojna Cavoglave”, he reportedly shouted “For the Homeland Ready.”

Judge Nada Turkalj then reasoned that by singing the song which includes salute, Thompson did not incite hate based on national or religious grounds, even though the salute was officially used during the Croat fascist regime during World War II. Judge Turkalj added that the song lyrics were performed in the concert exactly as recorded on official audio recordings produced and released by Croatia Records in the early 1990s.

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