Most opposition parties have said that they will take part in the Vukovar Remembrance Procession on November 18, calling for compliance with epidemiological measures, despite criticising what they call the 'politicisation' of the national Covid-19 task force and mass gatherings during the pandemic.

Social Democrat MP Arsen Bauk said on Tuesday that he was in favour of “a slightly more liberal regime of restrictions”.

“If a religious procession on the island of Hvar was allowed, one can surely allow the Remembrance Procession in Vukovar. Restricting the number of participants to 30 would definitely be too harsh. I am in favour of less strict criteria, the more so as the event is held outdoors, on a large area,” said Bauk, adding that he was against a mass gathering.

Bauk confirmed that SDP leader Pedja Grbin would go to Vukovar on November 18 while he himself would attend a commemoration in Skabrnja.

MP Milan Vrkljan of the Homeland Movement said that representatives of his party would attend the Vukovar commemoration “because Vukovar is above anything else”, but that it did not support the epidemiological measures prescribed by the Covid-19 response team.

“The team has been sending very bad messages for six months. None of them were based on science or common sense,” he said, recalling a case when a farmer was fined HRK 8,000 for working his land and a ban on leaving one’s place of residence during the spring lockdown.

“That was done without any epidemiological justification because the number of infections was low at the time. Now we have more than 2,000 cases a day and the epidemiological service of the Covid-19 response team is not noticing that,” he said.

Vrkljan also said that the SDP was now not objecting to the team’s decisions because its members who are physicians had in the meantime joined the once single-party crisis management team.

Miro Bulj of the Bridge party said the Vukovar commemoration had to take place, with compliance with anti-Covid rules.

MP Katarina Poeovic of the Workers’ Front said that regardless of why people gathered, one should listen to experts and follow epidemiological measures.

In that context she recalled the Croatian Association of Hospital Doctors’ (HUBOL) statement that at present holding gatherings was not a good practice.

“We can see that the numbers are not good, messages by some of our best scientists are dramatic and one should really listen to them,” Peovic said, adding that relaxing measures now would not be good.