Speaking of Monday's incident outside the government offices when a security guard was shot and wounded by a 22-year-old attacker, MP Ante Deur of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said on Wednesday that stigmatisation of Croatian war veterans and their families should not be allowed.

“We have two families that are going through difficult times,” Deur said, referring to media reports saying that the assailant came from a family of two war veterans. “Let us not tolerate attempts to smear the Croatian war veterans and the Homeland War,” he added.

Deur noted that it was still unclear what drove the perpetrator to commit this crime.

Dalija Oreskovic of the centrist SSIP party drew attention to the absence of rapid-response protocols in such situations, given that the attacker turned up in front of the government headquarters with two types of weapons.

She said that the increased security measures in St Mark’s Square undertaken by the government would not help members of the public to feel safe nor would they restore their trust in the system.

“The atmosphere of uncertainty in which we live reflects the lack of care and responsibility on the part of the ruling parties which, from the position of privilege, dictate rules that do not apply to them,” Oreskovic said, adding that the poor situation in society can be changed for the better by undertaking structural reforms.

Predrag Stromar of the Croatian People’s Party (HNS), a junior partner in the ruling coalition, said that the focus should be on how to ensure a better life for young people so that they felt secure in Croatia.