Several thousands of Sarajevo citizens gathered Saturday in front of the WWII Eternal Flame memorial to raise their voice against the Mass for Nazi supporters killed in Bleiburg in 1945, which was held at Sarajevo's Sacred Heart Cathedral as they were protesting.
“Nobody minds holding of Masses, but if it is for Bleiburg, then it is a disaster. Glorifying fascism is disastrous for civilisation. And that’s why we are here to defend our homeland and civilisation in the fight against fascism,” one of the protesters told N1.
Strong police forces secured the gathering as well as the area around the cathedral, where the religious ceremony took place.
According to Sarajevo Canton Interior Ministry Spokesperson, Mirza Hadziabdic, no incident was reported during the protest that gathered approximately 5,000 participants.
The Mass announcement sparked strong reactions among anti-fascists and activists, who slammed Bosnia’s Archbishop Vinko Puljic for agreeing to lead the ceremony.
Despite the objections, the mass received the support of the Vatican official representative in Bosnia.
Protest against #Bleiburg Mass UPDATE: Thousands of citizens have reached #Sarajevo's WWII Eternal Flame memorial; a banner above their heads says: "I am also an antifascist" https://t.co/MrhLrkaeqZ
— N1english (@N1info) May 16, 2020
Amid a Yugoslav army offensive aimed at defeating pro-Nazi and anti-communist forces, tens of thousands of mostly pro-fascist Croat soldiers and their families fled in 1945 toward Austria to seek help from the British army, only to be turned back by the Brits right into the hands of anti-fascists.
In and around the Austrian town of Bleiburg, thousands of the so-called Ustashas were killed.
The Yugoslav forces saw the slaughter they committed as punishment for the tens of thousands of Jews, Serbs, Roma and anti-fascists killed by the Ustasha during WWII.
After the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Croatia began commemorating the Bleiburg victims with a large gathering near the Austrian town every year.
Croatian nationalists perceive the controversial annual event as a symbol of their suffering under communism.
